John Morfis

"Meriden Cutlery 1870 contemporary realist painting antique tool Trompe L'oeil"

2015

A dark, yet crisp tromp-l'oeil depiction of a spatula. Morfis makes beauty out of the ordinary objects that we use everyday. Beacuse of varnish, the painting is difficult to photograph. The navy color is dark, but brightens with a spotlight on the painting. Framed in a modern black wood frame. Signed "J.Morfis" lower left ARTIST BIO John Morfis was born in Glen Cove, Long Island in 1976. His humble beginnings made pursuing a career in art difficult and paradoxically necessary. Fixated on making things aesthetically pleasing, John made an extreme departure from his family life when he chose to base his life on art. Surrounded by mechanics, welders, and otherwise trade workers John had a tough time expressing his interest in a world much more utilitarian and much less expressive and impractical. With an extraordinary desire to be an artist and a grant awarded, John was able to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from the University of Hartford in 1998. While there John studied oil painting under American realist Stephen Brown...

An oil painting of an antique tool, a Garden Dibble, which is a long stick-like tool used to make holes for seeds, to make sure they are sufficiently buried in the soil without damage. This particular object that Morfis chose to paint has a wooden handle, and a metal point. The dibber rests atop a nail, against a gray wall. Bright studio-light casts a sharp shadow directly beneath the tool. Painted in the academic realist style of "trompe-l'oeil" which is French for "trickery of the eye". BIOGRAPHY John Morfis was born in Glen Cove, Long Island in 1976. His humble beginnings made pursuing a career in art difficult and paradoxically necessary. Fixated on making things aesthetically pleasing, John made an extreme departure from his family life when he chose to base his life on art. Surrounded by mechanics, welders, and otherwise trade workers John had a tough time expressing his interest in a world much more utilitarian and much less expressive and impractical. With an extraordinary desire to be an artist and a grant awarded, John was able to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from the University of Hartford in 1998. While there John studied oil painting under American realist Stephen Brown. John’s first solo show took place in 2007 at the Ellen Traut Collection Gallery in Hartford, CT and was a near sell out. Since then John has had success up and down the northeastern coast of the United States working with various galleries and collectors. His work has also appeared in various group shows at the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut. ARTIST STATEMENT Each painting, although a portrait of a tired hand...

Very nicely painted American school Trompe L'oeil still life painting. Finely executed with great detail. Signed. Framed. Ready to hang!

The stature of an everyday item…an antique, well-worn box used for cutlery is elevated to fine art in this realistic oil painting by Ciba Karisik. Traces of blue paint mix with the golden tones of the wood and the palpable texture is enhanced by using linen...