Items Similar to "Branford Marsalis" Musician at Break, Clarinet, Thoughtful, Listening, Oil
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7
John Osler"Branford Marsalis" Musician at Break, Clarinet, Thoughtful, Listening, Oil2014
2014
About the Item
The paintings of John Osler are extraordinary works of art with layers of color within the white shirt of the musician. Though the instrumentalist appears to be on a break the set of his head and shoulders belies repose. You can see, but more importantly you feel the intensity of his listening. He hears music we do not and is waiting for his que to pick-up his instrument and rejoin the jazz set.
John Osler paints on board and canvas in oils. Best known for his ability to capture an emotional moment, his work shows his deep respect for his subject. He combines a fresh and free approach to color and style with a mature skill set. His work is especially admired by fellow artists for its strength and directness. John has won Gold Medals in the prestigious Scarab Club shows and is currently in collections in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Seattle, Monterey, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Europe and New Zealand.
John also writes a blog for the "Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe" one of the best jazz clubs in the U.S. hosting all the jazz greats. The club is owned by Gretchen Valade heir to the Carhart Clothing Company. Four of John's jazz paintings have been used as posters for the Montreux Jazz Festival. An original oil painting for one of those poster's is part of the TCF Convention Center's art collection in Detroit, Michigan.
John, as the son of an illustrator and an art teacher, grew up in Detroit surrounded by art.
He worked for 30 years in national advertising photography before turning to painting. During this time, he founded Mid-coast Studios and Spike Osler Photography. In 1992 he walked away from a successful career to return to painting. He traveled and painted. He met extraordinary people many of whom had modest means and fragile futures. They were, however, free with their friendship and rich in spirit. They revealed to John their joy, pain, and hopes. John has tried to capture their time together with the dignity they deserve. He spends his time painting in Detroit, France and New Orleans.
Osler got his start in Detroit as an illustrator back in the late 1950s and 1960s. Detroit, he says, was home to some of the greatest illustrators of the time, including Bernie Fuchs and Mark English, all flocking here to work for the auto industry, illustrating cars and people with them. As time went on, photography took over from illustration, so Osler started working with photography studios, eventually starting his own. Then, 24 years ago, against a backdrop of an emptying, criminal, deteriorating city, he quit, because, he says, "there was no satisfaction."
Osler then began a journey, one that took him to Jonestown, Mississippi, which was an all-black town. He went there for the blues, but found something deeper in the churches, where he would paint, and the people took him in. "It was an emotional time for me, because I was so used to business where you look at somebody and the honesty wasn't there — everybody was in business." In Jonestown, says Osler, "It wasn't about money; it was about who they were."
Osler continued his travels, exploring the South of France and New Orleans, but says he's never left Detroit. "I'm a Detroiter. There's something about Detroit that gets into you, so I'll always be a Detroiter."
The first thing that struck us about Osler's work is that it is almost entirely comprised of African Americans. We ask Osler, an older white man, about this, and he laughs and comments "Well, they're the ones with color! They're colorful! It wasn't deliberate; it was just that they're more full of life. They were the people who got me into painting, the richness of their spirit inside. I see a lot here now; that's why I want to do large things of the people who are the real heroes of Detroit: the grandmas, the mothers who are so solid and strong. I'm white, so everybody asks me that question and people don't buy my art because it's African Americans. African Americans like my art, but I'm not black and they buy black art. It wasn't intentional; I've done others, but it's just the people who influence me. I've never painted my family, which is interesting. I've done little sculptures and things, but I've never painted them. I guess they've never wanted me to.
"Growing up in Birmingham in the '50s, it was an extremely racist community, anti-Semitic," he continues. "I think we're better today than the '50s. I saw a certain appeal in the other that I didn't know anything about or was not allowed to know anything about. When I finally got more involved with the people and how open they were, they taught me lessons. When I went into churches, I was the white guy in the back of the church, like I was at jazz places in Detroit, but they were also so nice to me. They'd say, 'We know what it is not to be loved, so we're going to love.' So, that's why I'm trying to paint, I guess. That was my story."
- Creator:John Osler (1935)
- Creation Year:2014
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Detroit, MI
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU128616004952
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 2014
1stDibs seller since 2019
107 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 to 2 days
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Detroit, MI
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View All"Adam and Eve Triptych" Contemporary Surrealism with Hieronymous Bosch Attitude
By Renata Palubinskas
Located in Detroit, MI
"Adam & Eve Triptych" is a contemporary painting with surrealist elements such as the eyes in the clouds, the unknown and unknowable creatures painted and the biblical scene alluded to by the title. There is a definite Hieronymus Bosch attitude expressed by the creature in the first panel and the last panel. The sweetest creature is Eve as a very young, but nonetheless, suspicious and perhaps manipulative woman.
Renata Palubinskas was born in 1968 in Kaunas, Lithuania, at the time still in the Soviet Union as the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. She received her diploma in Fine Art and Restoration from St. Zukas Technium of Applied Arts in 1989. After working at the M.K. Ciurlionis State Museum of Art, she emigrated to the United States in the 1990s, basing herself in Detroit.
Renata's work rethinks historic iconography while intentionally addressing the modern world through a new perspective. The characters in her paintings are often caught between the struggle of good and evil. That struggle represents the choice of trying to obtain immediate gratification or realization of the self, and the haunting life experiences with latent possibilities for death.
Renata uses schematic compositions with purposefully positioned figures and other visual elements. To attract attention to the most significant figures, she often ornate their garments with intricate patterns. They are typically placed in either a serene landscape or an interior setting with a threatening presence around them.
Her work has been exhibited in Collected Detroit...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Statue of Liberty" American Icon, Oil Painting, Triptych
By Artis Lane
Located in Detroit, MI
All my life I have worked on three levels of consciousness: Portraits, Social Injustice & Metaphysics. In my work I strive to heal, uplift and inspire viewers and collectors to find perfection in their own being. - Artis Lane
"Statue of Liberty" is a painting by the Canadian, Ms. Lane, who has adopted the United States as her home country. She has used a cool blue tone to give the statue a more sculptural aspect in paint. The Statue of Liberty is an American Icon...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Stephen Goodfellow Figurative Oil on Canvas Primary Micro Pointillism
Located in Detroit, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY
Stephen Goodfellow's figurative paintings can be read as a narrative puzzle and are a challenge to pick apart. We are at the beg...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Steven Goodfellow Figurative Oil Painting Primary Micro Pointillism
Located in Detroit, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY
Stephen Goodfellow's figurative paintings can be read as a narrative puzzle that are a challenge to pick apart. In this painting both characters are smiling suggesting something pleasant has happened or is about to happen. There is much more going on: sink full of forgotten dirty dishes...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Jerome Paul Within Figurative "The Three Men Each at Their Windows Light"
Located in Detroit, MI
Jerome Witkin is an American figurative artist whose paintings deal with political, social and cultural themes, along with serious portraiture that melds...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ron Lukas Portrait "Annie Hall" Woody Allen Movie Character
Located in Detroit, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY
“Annie Hall” is a brilliant complicated mixed media piece composed of disparate parts and pieces that together make up a successful whole similar to the Woody All...
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
You May Also Like
Large oil on Canvas Painting -- Titanic Overture
By Gary Masline
Located in Troy, NY
This oil on canvas painting is an example of the artist's fascination with the moments just before something unexpected happens. The painting gives a scene often enacted in Northeast...
Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$5,200 Sale Price
35% Off
The Prayer - Modern Figurative Oil Painting, Beach View, Landscape, Sunshade
By Julita Malinowska
Located in Salzburg, AT
Artodyssey
"Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Couple 2 - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Joyful, Sun, Beach, Sunbathing
By Julita Malinowska
Located in Salzburg, AT
Artodyssey:
"Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with c...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Malvern Sunset by Eleanor Woolley, Contemporary art, Original painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Malvern Sunset by Eleanor Woolley [June 2021]
original and hand signed by the artist
Oil Paint on Canvas
Image size: H:50 cm x W:50 cm
Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:50 cm x W:50...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Shore Trail
By Kadir Lopez
Located in Greenwich, CT
KADIR LÓPEZ (b. 1972, Las Tunas, Cuba) came to artistic maturity at a time when the image and illusion of the Cuban Revolution were greatly diminished. That’s probably the reason why...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Family” Oil Painting 25.5" x 25.5" inch by Katherine Bakhoum Tisné
By Katherine Bakhoum-Tisné
Located in Culver City, CA
"Family” Oil Painting 25.5" x 25.5" inch by Katherine Bakhoum Tisné
Katherine Bakhoum represents art that has been forgotten for a long while. She draws upon the concept and the sub...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
