American Realist Animal Paintings

Artist Comments
"Togetherness is a wonderful place to be, and what better reflects a bond of love," says artist Jeff Fleming. He displays a touching portrait of a golden retriever mom affectionately posing with her puppy. Jeff begins with a pencil sketch and applies paint with his fingers, brushes, and string. He drizzles paint in random strokes to create an energetic composition brimming with splashes of color.

About the Artist
Artist Jeff Fleming uses fingerpainting to create exuberant portraits of dogs. Growing up in Southern California, Jeff was first introduced to fingerpainting in kindergarten. He painted through high school and college and won several art awards, including Best of Show in a city wide student competition. After graduating with a degree in journalism and advertising, he went to work as an art director. For the next 40 years, he created print, radio and television ads for a number of top agencies. "After retiring in 2019, the clouds of stress and pressure cleared and allowed me to set my creative energy free," says Jeff. He began developing new techniques focused on the excitement and energy of painting. Today, he uses a variety of methods and tools, including fingerpainting wearing nitrile gloves...

Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero displays a stunning koi pond in mesmerizing shades of deep blue and green. Part of his series of paintings exploring ponds, waterlilies, g...

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Artist Guigen Zha paints a white horse wading along blooming lotuses in realistic detail. It stands quietly in the shallow waters as the moonlight dreamily glows on the pond. "It seems to have forgotten where it came from and where it is going," says Guigen. He conveys the message of loneliness being a different kind of beauty.

About the Artist
From cross-cultural life experiences, artist Guigen Zha presents conceptual compositions of traditional Chinese art...

Artist Comments
"Corgis have big ears, big smiles, and have lots of LOVE to share," says artist Jeff Fleming. He displays the two playful canines with endearing grins and sparkling doe eyes. Jeff blends multiple colors and textures, adding depth and character to the composition. He creates dynamic points of interest with finger painting and applying drizzles of color with string.

About the Artist
Artist Jeff Fleming uses fingerpainting to create exuberant portraits of dogs. Growing up in Southern California, Jeff was first introduced to fingerpainting in kindergarten. He painted through high school and college and won several art awards, including Best of Show in a city wide student competition. After graduating with a degree in journalism and advertising, he went to work as an art director. For the next 40 years, he created print, radio and television ads for a number of top agencies. "After retiring in 2019, the clouds of stress and pressure cleared and allowed me to set my creative energy free," says Jeff. He began developing new techniques focused on the excitement and energy of painting. Today, he uses a variety of methods and tools, including fingerpainting wearing nitrile gloves, traditional paint brushes, bamboo shish kebab sticks, kite string, spraypaint and splattering. While working, Jeff always listens to music, including Broadway musicals, dance music and rhythmic Hawaiian tunes.

Words that describe this painting: Corgi, happy, dogs, kinetic impressionism, oilpaint, fun, Iris Scott...

Artist Comments
In his distinct realism style, artist Guigen Zha displays a black horse drinking water from a tranquil lily pond. Part of hi...

Artist Comments
A solitary black swan leisurely glides on a tranquil pond in artist Guigen Zha's allegorical rendering. The still waterscape ripples from the delicate movements...

Artist Comments
Artist Emil Morhardt displays an impressionist portrait of three brown pelicans. The birds sun themselves in the Sea of Cortez against a subtle greenish-blue late afternoon sky. "I hadn't thought about pelicans having a 3D vision like hawks until I was looking over my photos and saw one of the birds staring straight at me," shares Emil. He references his photographs from a National Geographic Zodiac that the pelicans seemed curious about, allowing very close viewing.

About the Artist
Emil Morhardt is an acrylic painter from Santa Barbara, California who expresses his passion for birds through realistic acrylic paintings. He paints at home in a studio room that has large windows and a north-facing view of the mountains. He observes the animals from this window, watching roadrunners, foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyote run by. Surrounded by this wildlife, Emil paints bird portraits reminiscent of those by artist John James Audubon. He bases his paintings off hundreds of photographs he takes of birds in the wild and at wildlife recovery centers. Emil captures the freedom and inquisitiveness that birds display in the natural world. Before painting birds, he painted landscapes of San Francisco and the Eastern Sierra. Emil was raised in the high desert of California and learned to paint from his father, who was one of the early California watercolorists...

Artist Comments
A brown colt quenches its thirst from a pristine lotus pond in artist Guigen Zha's symbolic piece. Part of his Dreamland series highli...

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A majestic white stallion takes a refreshing sip from a river in artist Guigen Zha's realistic piece. The pristine water ripple around the gorgeous water lilies...

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Artist Pamela Hoke displays a monochromatic portrait of a highland cattle. She captures the serenity of a majestic yet gentle and bea...

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Artist Emil Morhardt paints a glaucous-winged gull lifting off Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. He paints the bird splashing the crystalline water in detailed realism. "These big gulls are unafraid of brown bears, dodging between their legs to grab morsels," says Emil. He highlights the piece with a silvery edge reflecting a dazzlingly sunny day.

About the Artist
Emil Morhardt is an acrylic painter from Santa Barbara, California who expresses his passion for birds through realistic acrylic paintings. He paints at home in a studio room that has large windows and a north-facing view of the mountains. He observes the animals from this window, watching roadrunners, foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyote run by. Surrounded by this wildlife, Emil paints bird portraits reminiscent of those by artist John James Audubon. He bases his paintings off hundreds of photographs he takes of birds in the wild and at wildlife recovery centers. Emil captures the freedom and inquisitiveness that birds display in the natural world. Before painting birds, he painted landscapes of San Francisco and the Eastern Sierra. Emil was raised in the high desert of California and learned to paint from his father, who was one of the early California watercolorists...

Artist Comments
Besides having an affinity for ravens, artist Sally Adams shares her admiration for the band, Counting Crows. A combination of bri...

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A ceramic camel sculpture and a vase with lotus flowers settle on the surface of artist Guigen Zha's realistic piece. These ornaments called Tang Sancai radiate vitality in the painting. "The reference of the Bactrian camel...

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"These raucous birds arrive at my Santa Barbara feeder in flocks," shares artist Emil Morhardt. "They shoo away sparrows and house-...

Artist Comments
Artist Emil Morhardt depicts an Elegant Tern and a Forster’s Tern hanging together in the winter shallows of the Santa Barbara beach in California. Their evening reflections ripple above the water highlighted in gold, silver, and copper leaf. "While the Elegant Terns show up in huge flocks, the much smaller Forester’s tern is uncommon in Santa Barbara, and so a treat to see."

About the Artist
Emil Morhardt is an acrylic painter from Santa Barbara, California who expresses his passion for birds through realistic acrylic paintings. He paints at home in a studio room that has large windows and a north-facing view of the mountains. He observes the animals from this window, watching roadrunners, foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyote run by. Surrounded by this wildlife, Emil paints bird portraits reminiscent of those by artist John James Audubon. He bases his paintings off hundreds of photographs he takes of birds in the wild and at wildlife recovery centers. Emil captures the freedom and inquisitiveness that birds display in the natural world. Before painting birds, he painted landscapes of San Francisco and the Eastern Sierra. Emil was raised in the high desert of California and learned to paint from his father, who was one of the early California watercolorists...

Artist Comments
A curious buck gazes with gentle eyes. Artist Emil Morhardt captures with clarity a magnificent deer, its proud antlers shine under...

Artist Comments
The area in northwestern New Jersey where the artist lives has a large deer population. This painting is a scene revealing a portion of the yard in the home o...

Artist Comments
A realistic rendering by artist Emil Morhardt of a calm but vigilant crow on a powerline in the early morning sun. The bird is pain...