American Realist Paintings

American 19th Century Sea Scape oil painting.

I think of my work as being like a visual journal- observations and interpretations of people, places and things I experience day to day. Translating that experience into two dimensi...

"Waterfall with Spray," 12 x 12 x 3/4 Inches, is a beautiful small painting of Niagara Falls, part of a larger series of 12 x 12 inch waterfall paintings as seen from various vantag...

I have been burning images into wood and paper as a means of drawing for over two decades. During that time I have continued to refine and at the same time experiment with the proces...

“I do think the big problem in a way…is how you deal with ordinary life—that is not extraordinary, that does not involve heroism, that does not involve crises, really. But the way in...

Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA --When asked what kind of paintings I make, I usually call my work "Urban Landscapes" to distinguish them as paintings about areas of human habitation rather than landscapes that reference the natural world. But my subjects are certainly not all urban – some are suburban, some small towns and some are ruins, such as a faded sign and abandoned business bleaching in the desert sun as once populated areas return to their former empty silence. While I often treat older architectural forms, I want to make it clear these are not paintings about nostalgia – all are contemporary scenes, recently observed. Currently I've painted a number of pictures which seem neither urban nor rural but are set in that particular non-space that now covers so much of the landscape – the limbo of freeway exits and on-ramps and their attendant fast-food franchises. What I feel these mostly unpopulated places I choose to paint have in common is a potency, some kind of emotional charge that enables them to function as settings for a subjective fictional narrative. As the artist I choose and edit the scenes, setting the stage for viewers to bring their imaginations and private meanings to these places made special by my selection and attention." Notes: Urban, Rural, Movies, Theatre...

A native son of New England, Peter Poskas III—like many American artists before him—derives inspiration from the charming towns and tranquil landscapes of coastal Maine and Connectic...

Karen Woods paints a traveler’s view through the window of a moving vehicle rendered in subtly nuanced gestures in oil on canvas or panel. These views from the front seat of a car looking through an often rain-splattered windshield or side window, are always about water: water from above, as a rainstorm, or from below, as a man-made sprinkler system. She is drawn to the interplay of water and light, and how it affects our perception of reality through reflection, distortion, and transformation. The compositions often include a bit of the car - the edge of a window, a side mirror, the clear curved area left by a windshield wiper - these markers situate the viewer on the journey Woods is on - we are taken inside the vehicle and shown the vignettes that catch Woods’ eye. The paintings reclaim that point in time, explore its detail, and unearth its emotional content. Woods’ work freezes and compresses a moment of everyday life; then elongates and decelerates it and in so doing, reveals its accompanying emotional weight: its anticipation, reflection, isolation, and longing. Woods is coaxing us to recognize the transcendent experiences offered by the most mundane or ordinary surroundings of our daily lives. Karen Woods was born in Seattle, WA, in 1963. She received her BFA from the California College of the Arts (Oakland, CA) in 1987 with additional studies at California Polytechnic State University and Studio Art Centers International, Florence, Italy. Her paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States with solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, and Boston, among others, and her work has been published in New American Paintings, American Art Collector, art ltd, Artweek, Western Art & Architecture, Fine Art Connoisseur, and the Idaho Statesmen. Woods’ paintings are included the public collections of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK, James Castle...

Karen Woods paints a traveler’s view through the window of a moving vehicle rendered in subtly nuanced gestures in oil on canvas or panel. These views from the front seat of a car looking through an often rain-splattered windshield or side window, are always about water: water from above, as a rainstorm, or from below, as a man-made sprinkler system. She is drawn to the interplay of water and light, and how it affects our perception of reality through reflection, distortion, and transformation. The compositions often include a bit of the car - the edge of a window, a side mirror, the clear curved area left by a windshield wiper - these markers situate the viewer on the journey Woods is on - we are taken inside the vehicle and shown the vignettes that catch Woods’ eye. The paintings reclaim that point in time, explore its detail, and unearth its emotional content. Woods’ work freezes and compresses a moment of everyday life; then elongates and decelerates it and in so doing, reveals its accompanying emotional weight: its anticipation, reflection, isolation, and longing. Woods is coaxing us to recognize the transcendent experiences offered by the most mundane or ordinary surroundings of our daily lives. Karen Woods was born in Seattle, WA, in 1963. She received her BFA from the California College of the Arts (Oakland, CA) in 1987 with additional studies at California Polytechnic State University and Studio Art Centers International, Florence, Italy. Her paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States with solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, and Boston, among others, and her work has been published in New American Paintings, American Art Collector, art ltd, Artweek, Western Art & Architecture, Fine Art Connoisseur, and the Idaho Statesmen. Woods’ paintings are included the public collections of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK, James Castle...

Realism as a style has basically remained unchanged since the Renaissance. Realism as a technique, however, has definitely been altered and heavily influenced by technology. Most art...

"Goat Bells" is an oil painting featuring hues of blue, white, grey and orange. Marc Chatov is inspired by the work of Diego Velasquez, Édouard Manet, Willia...

Born in Spokane, WA (1986), Tamalin Soleil Baumgarten paints quiet landscape scenes with a tonal, melancholic realism. She received her MFA from New York Academy of Art in 2015 and h...

I think of my work as being like a visual journal- observations and interpretations of people, places and things I experience day to day. Translating that experience into two dimensi...

"Secret Beach" is an oil painting of a path towards the beach, and a lighthouse in the distance. Dunes make up the foreground, and a sandy path leads us to a body of water. Small painting with a vertical orientation. Signed "MKW" in upper right corner. Painting dimensions: 12 x 8 inches Framed dimensions: 14 x 10 inches Matthew Weigle...

New England coastal scene painting by Henry Jarvis Peck. The artist attended the Rhode Island School of Design, studied with George Loftus Noyes, and moved to Wilmington Delaware in ...

A native son of New England, Peter Poskas III—like many American artists before him—derives inspiration from the charming towns and tranquil landscapes of coastal Maine and Connectic...

Waves converging and crashing onto the beach.

"Robert Riggs was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence by the New York Art Directors Club for ten consecutive years and received many additional awards." He was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and the U.S. Library of Congress. Riggs's compositons are "monumental" Walt Reed - work is unframed. - Riggs was a Gay Artist.

Unchanged for centuries, this idyllic water fall in Cold Spring, NY, one hour north of New York City by train, is hidden from view by the hilly landscape and a stone bridge.

Rachel Personett was born in Hawaii, but raised in Colorado. Being the daughter of a pilot she has always traveled extensively. She has studied part time at the Savannah College of Art and Design, The Angel Academy of Art, and finally settled on the Florence Academy of Art, graduating in 2015. In January 2016 she apprenticed the painter Odd Nerdrum...

A plein air depiction of an outdoor Dutch Cafe. Artist Bio Rachel Personett was born in Hawaii, but raised in Colorado. Being the daughter of a pilot she has always traveled extensively. She has studied part time at the Savannah College of Art and Design, The Angel Academy of Art, and finally settled on the Florence Academy of Art, graduating in 2015. In January 2016 she apprenticed the painter Odd...

Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA --The primary subjects of my paintings are 21st century man's working monuments, which represent our culture's dedication to production...

Scott Duce Biography American, b. 1956 Scott Duce is an international artist working in New York. Duce’s work is included in many corporate, museum, and private collections. Notable...

A plein air sketch on grey-tone paper of rolling waves on the beach. The perfect opportunity to own one of Minoff's masterful water works at a lower price.

Born in New York City in 1959, Max Ferguson started as a filmmaker, making award-winning animated films as a teenager. But it was while he was a visiting student at an art school in ...

Trevor Young is a quintessentially American painter. He makes no bones about his affection for the trappings of car culture, life on the road, and 1960s West Coast art. His main subj...

American, b. 1972 Dylan Stark is a traditional landscape and seascape painter. He is heavily influenced by the luminist style of painting popular among late 19th century American la...

Gary Faigin says of Kurt Solmssen’s work, “Though a realist, Kurt Solmssen does not so much record what he sees, as use his surroundings as a point of departure for poetic homages to...

Watercolor on paper executed by German-American artist Richard Veenfliet "My Old Kentucky Home" references one of the ballads written by American composer Stephen Foster in 1852.

American, b. 1950 Marla Korr attended Brooklyn College, earning both a B.A. and a M.F.A. There she studied with Philip Pearlstein, Lennart Anderson and Jimmy Ernst. She has also s...

Here oil on canvas images are photorealistic and gorgeous.

“I do think the big problem in a way…is how you deal with ordinary life—that is not extraordinary, that does not involve heroism, that does not involve crises, really. But the way in...

A plein air painting of a fall day. The artist paints a lush babbling brook, verdant with flowering blossoms, tall grasses, and fiery colors of autumn leaves about to fall from trees. Her shadow takes shape on the lower left in the late afternoon sun. Artist Bio Rachel Personett was born in Hawaii, but raised in Colorado. Being the daughter of a pilot she has always traveled extensively. She has studied part time at the Savannah College of Art and Design, The Angel Academy of Art, and finally settled on the Florence Academy of Art, graduating in 2015. In January 2016 she apprenticed the painter Odd Nerdrum...

Archivally Matted to 17.75 x 16.75 inches Signed lower left

OPAC, the Organization of Photorealist Artists and Collectors, presents Eat In & Take Out by Mark Schiff This beautiful painting by famed photorealist Mark Schiff cannot be appreciated on a computer screen. In real life it is amazing. We guarantee that you will love this painting. If not, you can return it for a complete refund, no questions asked. About Mark Schiff -- Animated by photographs that reflect his personal life, Mark Schiff’s paintings are fueled by what makes him happy. Through his open touch and signature blending method, he lends his artistic perception to the original photographic compositions captured on his Leica. Mark’s creative vision has been alive since he was a boy. As a child he spent his summers observing life as he rode the trolley back and forth to art classes at the Pratt Institute. During his future travels to Europe, Mark’s eye for light and photography merged with his passion for painting at the Jeu de Paume in Paris; which triggered his career in photorealism. Mark is well known for painting objects that people can identify and emotionally connect with. His work is distinctly marked by a rich palette and the luminous range of light he paints into his compositions. Each painting is a true extension of his vision and can take up to 200 hours to complete. Mark Schiff’s work has been commissioned by the well-known brands The Hershey Company and Tropicana. His private collectors include A-list celebrities and also corporate collectors in the US and abroad. Possessing a strong philanthropic nature, Mark donates both his time and works to charitable organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Ronald McDonald House, Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Humane Society and the Special Olympics. Photorealism is widely viewed as one of this century’s most exciting genres of art. When a photorealistic painting is viewed from afar, it looks like a photograph. Only when getting very close to the art does the viewer realize that it is in fact not a photo, but rather an oil painting. Photorealism can also refer to sculptures. Duane Hanson is known as the greatest photorealistic sculptor of all time. Some of the greatest photorealistic painters include Mark Schiff, Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Charles Bell and Audrey Flack. Photorealist Mark Schiff was born in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in a neighborhood known as a kuchalane, a Yiddish word which Schiff defines as a place where everyone (from the Old Country) ended up living on the same street, and most likely knowing each other’s business. His Russian grandfather came to the US before the revolution and both his parents were first generation American. Even at five years of age, Mark showed exceptional talent. In the summer, his mother permitted him to travel by himself on the trolley for art classes at the Pratt institute. He continued studying there until he was eleven and the family moved to Great Neck. Except for a few art classes in high school and playing baritone horn in the band, Mark focused on other things besides art, especially when his mother worried for his financial future, kept insisting “that Jewish boys don’t starve to death.” His father made a good living as a production man in textiles so Mark, who had spent years doing the rounds of knitting mills with his father, decided to major in textile chemistry at North Carolina State. ROTC was mandatory on his campus and he did two years in order to be eligible for officer status. He won the Armed Forces Chemical Association award and thought for sure that he would be assigned chemical work, but instead was made a tank commander and stationed at Fort Knox. Not exactly what his heart yearned for, but a good job awaited him at Sandoz, a Swiss company that made dyestuff. What perfect training for someone who would soon be working in wonderful rich colors on canvas. He went on to receive his MBA degree from Hofstra University, left Sandoz and was hired to sell at a spinning mill. He liked it. In 1976 he joined Bennett Berman Associates and had an opportunity to buy the spinning mill Spun Fibers. But what of art? In the early days, Elsie, his wife of fifty-two years, had a problem with the large amount of space his canvases occupied in their one-bedroom apartment. Mark took up photography instead, which only required a small darkroom. Photography was a natural ally for his eventual return to painting in the photorealistic style. It was on his second trip to Europe that Mark fell in love with painting all over again. The impressionistic museum, Jeu de Paume in Paris, renewed his passion and it’s been non-stop since then. Out came the brushes, but this time, he used his love and skill of photography, and built a style based on the photographs he had taken, bringing them to life with paint. Mark was still not painting to sell until in 1990 when someone discovered and desperately wanted his candy bar (Sweet Series) painting. Mark didn’t want to let go of that particular piece, but was finally convinced to sell it and a second candy painting to this ardent art and candy lover. Two years later, Mark was commissioned to make three paintings of this man’s new Ferrari. Some of the artists who have inspired his work are Richard Estes, Sandy Scott, Chuck Close, and Charles Bell. He appreciates the work of Ken Keeley, but unlike Keeley’s hard-lined/tape and ruler style, Mark prefers an open touch, using the blending method. Mark’s subject matters range from candy bars to spice racks to soda cans and soda bottles. He photographs with a Leica M-7 and each painting can take up to 200 or more hours to complete. His palette is rich; his subjects, be it a fire engine or a pretzel cart...

I think of my work as being like a visual journal- observations and interpretations of people, places and things I experience day to day. Translating that experience into two dimensi...

My paintings begin with a serious sense of play, both in the staging and the creating of the compositions. It is at this beginning stage that I operate under the Dadaist dictate that “anything can be art”, and at the same time I seek out a balanced and harmonious composition by way of line, shape, and color. I work according to my whimsy, sometimes seeking to assert some form of narrative however personal or ambiguous, and other times I am simply satisfied with the hint of a human presence. Once I have my compositions the paintings then very quickly become about work, a very labor intensive work that forces me to focus my mind and slow things down (which I feel is relevant especially in this day and age of high-speed everything). A great amount of effort is spent on trying to get to the highest level of finish that is possible according to my current skill level. For inspiration I have drawn from the past four centuries of object specific paintings, from the ontbijtjes (laid tables) of the 17th Century Dutch masters such as Willem Kalf, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Abraham van Beijeren...

An oil painting of a vintage flannel zip-up. A classic red tartan plaid jacket, on a wooden hanger, hanging from a single nail, against a grey backdrop...

Colonel Bates Leads the 30th Colored Infantry at the Battle of the Crater Watercolor on Paper Circa 1903 15 ½ x 21 ½ Inches 25 ½ x 33 ½ Inches Framed LR: Graves This rare portrait of African American troops serving in battle during the Civil War depicts the 30th United States Colored Infantry at the Battle of the Crater, at Petersburg, Virginia. The regiment was composed of African American enlisted men commanded by white officers and was authorized by the Bureau of Colored Troops which was created by the United States War Department on May 22, 1863. The Battle of the Crater, July 30th, 1864, was part of the Siege of Petersburg, fought between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade (under the direct supervision of the general-in-chief, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant). At the top of the painting, Colonel Delevan Bates raises his saber to lead the charge of the 30th United States Colored Infantry. Bates was promoted to this command just prior to this battle, having served with distinction in the 121st New York Infantry at the Battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Though the Battle of the Crater would eventually be won by the Confederacy, it was here that Bates and 23 other troops would be award the United States highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor. After weeks of preparation, on July 30, Union forces exploded a mine in Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's IX Corps sector, blowing a gap in the Confederate defenses of Petersburg, Virginia. From this propitious beginning, everything deteriorated rapidly for the Union attackers. Unit after unit charged into and around the crater, where soldiers milled in confusion. Grant considered the assault "the saddest affair I have witnessed in this war." The Confederates quickly recovered and launched several counterattacks led by Brig. Gen. William Mahone. The breach was sealed off, and Union forces were repulsed with severe casualties. Brig. Gen. Edward Ferrero's division of black soldiers...

Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA --Every painting begins with a place to stand. Sometimes I find one in seconds; sometimes the hunt goes on for many seasons. A canvas c...

Kenny Harris is represented by George Billis Gallery NYC. The artist has traveled around the world, painting on location. He is fascinated with subtle light effects and expressive p...

"Poinsettia 2" is an oil painting of the signature red plant blossomed against a light backdrop, in a minimalist pot, a cement cube. A refined pop of red for the Holidays. Painting dimensions: 14 x 11 inches Framed dimensions: 16.5 x 13.5 inches Matthew Weigle...

Marla Korr attended Brooklyn College, earning both a B.A. and a M.F.A. There she studied with Philip Pearlstein, Lennart Anderson and Jimmy Ernst. She has also studied at Stevenson...

Miriam Story Hurford was a prolific and major American female illustrator in the 1930s to the 1950s. Her work was for cover art for women's magazines and home magazines and religious magazines. This work depicts t the wise men being guided by the star of Bethleham to the birth of the Christ child for a Christmas magazine...

Nicholas Berger Biography American, b. 1949 In his more than three decades as an artist, Nicholas Berger (b. 1949) has created an outstanding body of work that continues to evolve a...

Joel Carson Jones Biography American, b. 1975 Joel Carson Jones lives, teaches, and paints in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1975.  With the work-ethic of the Scran...

Heller covers monumental and lesser-known works starting with Frank Lloyd Wright and tracing his design principles through his son Lloyd Wright, and students Richard Neutra, Rudolph ...

Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA --Every painting begins with a place to stand. Sometimes I find one in seconds; sometimes the hunt goes on for many seasons. A canvas c...

Signed lower left & dated 1920 The Francis Scott Key Bridge, also known as the Key Bridge, is a concrete arch bridge traffic across the Potomac River be...

Heller covers monumental and lesser-known works starting with Frank Lloyd Wright and tracing his design principles through his son Lloyd Wright, and students Richard Neutra, Rudolph ...

Kevin Frank statement: For me, combining the techniques of the ancient Greco-Roman painters with those of the old and new masters help to create unique modern images. As with all enc...

Awards 2013 Loring W. Coleman Award for Watercolor/ Allied Artists of America, 100th Annual Exhibition at the National Arts Club 2011 Mary Bryan Memorial Medal / Allied Artis...

Thompson's oil paintings of neon signage explore his appreciation for how these hand-made signs are built. This may be a result of the many years he spent as an equipment engineer in...

Represented by George Billis Gallery, NY & LA --The process of endless building and reconfiguring transcends the mere physical and encompasses the spiritual and symbolic. The scars a...

An oil painting of farm-fresh goods laid on a table with a plaid picnic-print tablecloth. Maryann Lucas lives and works in Sag Harbor. She is primarily self-taught but has also received instruction and support from wonderful and generous members of the East End artistic community. Working exclusively in oils, Lucas sets out almost daily to create plein aire landscapes and seascapes. In her studio, she works directly from life and captures the beauty of natural light as it transforms ordinary objects into visual delights. Lucas wants her work to celebrate all that is well with this world and brilliant in this life, despite its pockets of darkness. For me, she says, I know I am in the Presence of something beautiful, when it steals my breath, silences my mind, pushes out everything else and draws me in. I trust That. I use That to guide my hands as I arrange a still life or scan a landscape to determine where to set down my easel. Ultimately, That is what drives me to paint. Becoming evermore skilled as an oil painter is another of Lucas goals. To that end she remains teachable, finding it refreshing and vital for her own growth to paint with others. She has studied with favorite artists including Michael Klein...

Lori Zummo Biography American, b. 1962 Contemporary artist Lori Zummo paints in a style evocative of the American Barbizon School. She received her BFA from Syracuse University in 1...

American, b. 1972 Dylan Stark is a traditional landscape and seascape painter. He is heavily influenced by the luminist style of painting popular among late 19th century American la...

I have been burning images into wood and paper as a means of drawing for over two decades. During that time I have continued to refine and at the same time experiment with the process. Using propane torches I burn, scorch, re-burn, sand and scratch the surface of paper or wood to create my drawings. My earlier work, the Nocturne Series was inspired by walking at night in the light filled streets of American cities; those drawings were often mistaken for soft focus sepia toned photographs. My present work is a considerable departure in regard to content, execution and appearance - from those dark, abstracted cityscapes, my current drawings are light filled, clearly rendered landscapes. The burning process I use to make my drawings evolved differently for each series. Experimentation (in both bodies of work) is always important to me and always informs the resulting image. In the case of the Nocturnes the image arose from intermixing water with the flame from a large industrial torch. With these new works, I’ve tried to create a visually stimulating accumulation of (often minuscule) marks on the wood surface using the tiny flame from a jeweler’s torch...

O MARA'S MUNICIPAL TAVERN - Saturday Evening Post Illustration Supreme technical skill allows the artist to realistically capture an...

Plump, fleshy, or a voluptuous nude - you describe it as you see it. Signed, titled, and dated lower left: John Steuart Curry / 1934 "Hilda Nellis". The present work depicts a natur...