Birch Figurative Paintings

An Ema is a votive plaque people hang in a "dedication area", at a Shinto shrine, with their wish to the gods. Wishes usually would revolve around health, love, career, prosperity, a...

Icon of Our Lady of Jerusalem. Egg tempera on gesso and over a wooden board. Dimensions in centimeters: 42 x 34 x 2 cm / In inches: 16.54 x 13-39 x 0-79 " Author: Oliver Samsinger...

The Virgin of Kataphyge with Saint John the Evangelist, after a Bulgarian Byzantine icon of the 14th Century. Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso and wood. Author: Oliver Samsinger...

Christ, the Great High Priest. Greek-Italian style Icon with silver filigreed oklad. Egg tempera, over gesso on wood with a silver cover, "oklad", with pol...

When this beautiful piece was created Berlin had been staging a one man renaissance of the early 20th Century School of Paris. For 8 years in this wing of study he used the shapes of...

A Modern realist “trompe l’oeil” egg tempera painting by American female artist Catherine Catanzaro Koenig depicting a person curled up titled “Prayer Rug #2″. Catherine C. Koenig was born Caterina Catanzaro in 1921 and grew up on the West side of Buffalo, NY. She graduated from Lafayette High School Buffalo in 1939. She exhibited a talent for drawing and painting early on and attended Albright Art School, where she graduated with an Associate's Degree in 1942. Her professional career as an artist began in the 1940s when she started to exhibit her work. From 1946-1956, she taught drawing and painting at the Art Institute of Buffalo. She married Buffalo artist...

A Modern realist “trompe l’oeil” egg tempera painting by American female artist Catherine Catanzaro Koenig depicting a person curled up titled “Prayer Rug #1″. Catherine C. Koenig was born Caterina Catanzaro in 1921 and grew up on the West side of Buffalo, NY. She graduated from Lafayette High School Buffalo in 1939. She exhibited a talent for drawing and painting early on and attended Albright Art School, where she graduated with an Associate's Degree in 1942. Her professional career as an artist began in the 1940s when she started to exhibit her work. From 1946-1956, she taught drawing and painting at the Art Institute of Buffalo. She married Buffalo artist...

A Modern realist “trompe l’oeil” egg tempera painting by American female artist Catherine Catanzaro Koenig depicting a painting of a nude held up by masking tape. Koenig inspired by Magritte, creates captivating works that delight the eye. Catherine C. Koenig was born Caterina Catanzaro in 1921 and grew up on the West side of Buffalo, NY. She graduated from Lafayette High School Buffalo in 1939. She exhibited a talent for drawing and painting early on and attended Albright Art School, where she graduated with an Associate's Degree in 1942. Her professional career as an artist began in the 1940s when she started to exhibit her work. From 1946-1956, she taught drawing and painting at the Art Institute of Buffalo. She married Buffalo artist...

Konstantinos Papamichalopoulos was born in Athens, Greece in 1975. He studied painting and printmaking at the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he also received a postgraduate degree...

The Virgin of Tijvin (after a Russian icon in the style of the 18th Century). Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso over wood. Measurements in centimeters: 45 x 36.5 x 3 cm / In inch...

"Giant At Sea" is an Asian Inspired Painting with a colorful Samurai and sailing boats in the ocean, with lots of white waves. The piece is created using ink, egg-tempera, and a gold...

"Christ Pantocrator". After an Icon in the style of the Moscow school (15th century). Somewhat similar to that of Rublev. Author: Oliver Samsinguer Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso and on wood. Dimensions; (H) 42 x (W) 33.5 x (D) 3.5 cm. (H) 16.54 x (W) 13.19 x (D) 1.38 in. This is how the artist sums up the technique used by him to create the icon: “The aim of these steps is to create a durable painting. The icon is eternal. The first step is to choose a support, traditionally made of wood, from the center of the trunk to avoid warping it. For this purpose, two hardwood bolts were often used on the back to give the picture panel additional stability. Often a frame is milled out. Then the image carrier is sanded smooth and now 12 or 14 thin layers of gesso are applied and sanded smooth as well. Then the preliminary drawing is applied and the drawing board is prepared with a special preparation called bolus. This bolus can be polished to a high gloss. Afterwards, the gold leaf is "shot" with special brushes. It dries up within a few hours and can now be polished with an agate. Gold leaf is real 24-carat gold . Now, the actual process of painting begins. Egg tempera is made fresh from egg yolk, water, and a little vinegar. This is used to prepare the color pigments. Tempera painting is done in numerous layers from dark to light. When the icon is finished, it is left to dry for a few months and varnished with a special varnish called Olifa made from boiled linseed oil and other ingredients”. ABOUT THE ARTIST Oliver Samsinger...