Douglas Newton

Shells, realistic image cool subtle blues and earth tones

Mr. Newton says, "A conch shell and two smaller shells, a scallop shell and a clam shell. Lit from the left. The conch shell is an amazing piece of work from nature. No human could ...

Doug Newton’s hyper-real oil paintings observe reality, explore translucency, reflections and luminosity, and dazzle the viewer with all the ways light can transform our perceptions. His subject matter concentrates on still lives of food, toys, candy and household objects. In addition to many group shows across the country, Mr. Newton’s show, “HARD CANDY and other confections” represents his fifth solo exhibition. His paintings have been collected in numerous private collections. Dr. Sonia Coman writes in her essay, Doug Newton’s hard candy: the confection of painting Doug Newton’s paintings are about… painting. The hyperrealist technique of trompe l’oeil or “trick the eye” is knowingly playful. It simultaneously calls attention to the illusion of a different material—for example, translucent candy wrappers—and the reality of the layers of paint, masterfully applied to the canvas. In that, Newton’s paintings pay homage to an esteemed series of trompe l’oeil masters, from Inquisition-era Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán to Gilded-Age American painter William Michael Harnett...

Large Bowl of Shells by McKenzie West is a luminous oil painting that transforms a simple collection of seaside relics into a meditation on memory, materiality, and natural beauty. I...

This still-life is made by Dutch painter Erik Zwaga. The painter started in the style of the romantic school, Erik Zwaga began to search more and more for his own visual language...