Ben Waddams Art

This exquisite acrylic painting by Ian Hornak (1944–2002), titled Lilies and Mushrooms with my Parrot Kouka, was executed in 1986. The masterfully conceived composition exemplifies H...

Diego Glazer's "Shadow's Edge" is a captivating representation of nature's untouched beauty. Painted in 2022, this oil on canvas piece stretches across dimensions of 60 x 72 x 3 inch...

This exquisite acrylic painting by Ian Hornak (1944–2002), titled Nocturne I: White Peacock, Black Cockatoo, was executed in 1990. The masterfully conceived composition exemplifies H...

This exquisite acrylic painting by Ian Hornak (1944–2002), titled Scarlet and Blue Macaw, was executed in 1985–1986. The masterfully conceived composition exemplifies Hornak’s mature synthesis of Hyperrealism, symbolism, illusionism, and art historical reference, presenting a brilliantly rendered scarlet and blue macaw within a meticulously constructed visual environment of extraordinary complexity and sophistication. The dazzling plumage, dramatic architectural enclosure, tropical vegetation, and luminous artist-painted frame are depicted with astonishing clarity and chromatic intensity, transforming a traditional avian subject into a meditation on beauty, captivity, freedom, perception, and the relationship between the natural and constructed worlds. Through his remarkable command of light, texture, color, and spatial illusion, Hornak elevates the bird portrait into a philosophical exploration of observation and existence, demonstrating the intellectual ambition and technical virtuosity that distinguish his finest works. Executed during one of the most celebrated periods of his career, the painting reflects Hornak’s unique ability to unite photographic realism, symbolic meaning, decorative splendor, and painterly refinement within a single, visually sublime composition. The artist-painted frame functions as an integral extension of the imagery, dissolving the boundary between painting and object while reinforcing the immersive and metaphysical qualities of the work. Executed in acrylic on panel with artist’s painted frame, this work measures 58.5 x 42.5 inches (148.59 x 107.95 cm). Signed and dated by the artist. Artwork Details: Artist: Ian Hornak (1944–2002) Title: Scarlet and Blue Macaw Medium: Acrylic on panel with artist’s painted frame Dimensions: 58.5 x 42.5 inches (148.59 x 107.95 cm) Inscription: Signed, dated by the artist Date: 1985–1986 Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, New York, New York; Estate of Ian Hornak, East Hampton, New York About the Artist: Ian Hornak (1944–2002) was an American painter, draughtsman, printmaker, and pioneering force in Photorealism and Hyperrealism whose extraordinary technical mastery, visionary imagination, and innovative approach to realism established him as one of the most distinctive and original artists of the late twentieth century. Widely recognized as a founding member of both the Photorealist and Hyperrealist movements, Hornak helped redefine the possibilities of contemporary realism by combining photographic precision with symbolism, romanticism, mythology, environmental awareness, art historical references, and metaphysical inquiry, creating a body of work that stands apart within postwar American art for both its visual brilliance and intellectual ambition. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Michigan before establishing his career in New York and East Hampton, Hornak emerged during one of the most transformative periods in modern art and developed a highly individual visual language that transcended conventional artistic categories. While many of his contemporaries focused on strict photographic transcription, urban imagery, or detached observation, Hornak utilized realism as a foundation for exploring profound themes of memory, beauty, mortality, spirituality, environmental fragility, and humanity’s relationship with nature, producing works that operate simultaneously as visual spectacles and philosophical meditations. His artistic vision reflects an awareness of the revolutionary innovations introduced by Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, while simultaneously drawing inspiration from the Hudson River School, particularly Frederic Edwin Church, Martin Johnson Heade, Thomas Cole, and Albert Bierstadt, as well as the spiritual landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich and the botanical precision of Dutch Golden Age masters such as Jan van Huysum and Rachel Ruysch. Through this extraordinary synthesis of influences, Hornak created a visual language that united scientific observation, photographic realism, romantic grandeur, allegorical symbolism, and philosophical reflection into a form entirely his own. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Hornak emerged as one of the earliest artists associated with the newly developing Photorealist movement, producing panoramic landscapes of astonishing complexity and technical sophistication that challenged prevailing assumptions regarding realism and representation. These groundbreaking paintings incorporated the visual effects of multiple-exposure photography, allowing Hornak to present numerous viewpoints, shifting perspectives, and compressed moments in time within a single composition, years before such approaches became commonplace in contemporary art. He was also among the first contemporary artists to extend pictorial imagery beyond the edges of the canvas and onto elaborately painted frames, dissolving the boundary between artwork and object and anticipating later developments in installation art and expanded-field painting. These innovations earned widespread critical acclaim and positioned Hornak alongside major contemporaries such as Chuck Close, Richard Estes, Audrey Flack, Ralph Goings, Robert Bechtle, Malcolm Morley, Richard McLean, and Don Eddy, yet his work remained distinguished by its emotional resonance, romantic sensibility, and deep engagement with both art history and the natural world. As his career evolved, Hornak increasingly moved beyond the concerns of mainstream Photorealism and developed a more personal and ambitious artistic vision, culminating in the monumental botanical, allegorical, and symbolic masterpieces of the 1980s and 1990s that many scholars regard as the pinnacle of his achievement. These extraordinary paintings combined hyperreal floral imagery, celestial phenomena, rare minerals, birds, insects, architectural motifs, mythological references, and complex still-life arrangements into dazzling visual orchestrations that reward prolonged viewing and intellectual engagement. Major works such as Raphael’s Stairway, Echo Loses Narcissus, Hannah’s Mirror, Very Baroque Flowerpiece, and the celebrated Last Song series transformed traditional genres into contemporary meditations on beauty, mortality, history, science, religion, art history, and the cosmos. Unlike many photorealists whose work remained rooted primarily in observation, Hornak elevated realism into a vehicle for symbolic and philosophical exploration, creating paintings that function simultaneously as technical masterpieces, visual narratives, intellectual puzzles, and poetic reflections on existence itself. Throughout his career, Hornak was represented by influential galleries including Tibor de Nagy Gallery, Fischbach Gallery, and Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, exhibiting extensively in New York and internationally. His work received praise from leading critics and publications, including The New York Times, which described him as being “right at the top of romantically descriptive painters today.” His paintings entered important private, corporate, and institutional collections, and his reputation has continued to grow through significant posthumous exhibitions at institutions including the Forest Lawn Museum, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C., the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, the Anton Art Center, and the Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art. Hornak’s influence extends far beyond Photorealism into later generations of realist, hyperrealist, symbolic, environmental, and representational painters who continue to explore the intersection of photography, illusion, narrative, environmental awareness, and metaphysical content. Today, his paintings, drawings, and prints remain highly sought after by collectors who recognize their rarity, beauty, technical excellence, and historical importance, while his personal papers are preserved in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art, affirming his place within the broader narrative of twentieth-century American art. As international interest in museum-quality realism continues to expand and collectors increasingly seek historically significant artists whose scholarly importance exceeds their current market valuations, Hornak’s work has attracted growing attention for its originality, ambition, and uniqueness within American art. His highest recorded sale was achieved in 2017, when Large Orchid Bouquet (1988) was sold in a private transaction conducted in association with the heir of the Ian Hornak estate to the Van Andel family, co-owners of Amway, for US$165,000 ($219,168.11 USD, calculated for inflation in 2025), underscoring the growing recognition of an artist whose significance within the history of American realism continues to expand. Ian Hornak Scarlet and Blue Macaw, Ian Hornak macaw painting...

Statement: I crave beauty, peace, and order, and paint subjects and settings that reflect this idyllic view of the world. My creative work conveys a sense of calm beauty with captiv...

Statement: I crave beauty, peace, and order, and paint subjects and settings that reflect this idyllic view of the world. My creative work conveys a sense of calm beauty with captiv...

Rachel Linnemeier's "Purrfect Pet" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a yellow Tamagotchi toy on a pink background. About the Artist: Born in 1989 in rural Indiana, Rachel Linnemeier creates her figurative paintings in the medium of oil paint. In 2013 she completed her undergraduate BFA with an emphasis in Painting and a minor in Art History from Herron School of Art & Design in Indianapolis. She has studied in workshops with painters Alyssa Monks...

Every detail in this extraordinary painting is rendered with exacting care. It is not unusual to find these majestic predatory birds amongst the skyscrapers and bridges of our cites...

Born in Transylvania, Romania and of Hungarian origin, Paula Urzica lives and works in London, England. She is known for her hyperrealist paintings depicting large-scale macaroons.

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...

Painted with such exacting detail it is hard to believe a human hand can be so exacting. This piece is framed in a simple wooden frame measuring 15 x 18 inches. Rick Pas The Surprised Wood Duck acrylic on panel 12h x 15w in 30.48h x 38.10w cm 15h x 18w x 1d in (framed) RPA023 ARTIST'S STATEMENT Creating is an addiction. With all the highs and lows you would expect. I am interested in the surface textures and creating paintings that portray them in realistic detail. Hopefully a viewer will feel they can run a hand over the feathers and moss, or grasp an object in the painting. This detail is usually composed in an abstract design. The design can occur naturally or be arranged by me. RESUME Rick Pas b. 1958, Flint, MI Education Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI - Bachelor of Fine Arts - Pearson Art Scholarship SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 2022 Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL, Take Flight William Baczek Fine Arts, Animal Kingdom & Winter National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY, Western Visions Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, OK, Braveheart 2021 William Baczek Fine Arts, 25th Anniversary Exhibition 2020 William Baczek Fine Arts, Landscape Exhibition & Summer Gallery Victor Armendariz, The Palette of Pride 2019 The James Museum, St. Petersburg, FL, Environmental Impact II Lovetts Gallery, Realism, Reveries, & Rhapsody Gallery Victor Armendariz, New Work 2018 Gallery Victor Armendariz, Front and Center Corporate Art Advisory, Chicago, IL, Portraits and Places: Redefining Realism William Baczek Fine Arts, Animal Kingdom Lovetts Gallery, Rear Window 2017 William Baczek Fine Arts, Winter, Animal Kingdom, Summer Lovetts Gallery, The Good, the Bad, and the WTF? & Red 2016 William Baczek Fine Arts, 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Summer, & Landscape Exhibition Monroe Community Church, Grand Rapids, MI, ArtPrize Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL, Group Exhibition Lovetts Gallery, Cauldron 2015 William Baczek Fine Arts, Landscape Exhibition & Summer JW Marriott, Grand Rapids, MI, ArtPrize Handwright Gallery, New Canaan, CT, Small Works Ann Brierly Gallery, Winnetka, IL, Ann Nathan Gallery Satellite Exhibition RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, A Magical Menagerie 2014 William Baczek Fine Arts, Spring & Landscape Exhibition 2013 Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH, Environmental Impact Gallery Project, Ann Arbor, MI, Interspecies 2012 Alden B. Dow Museum of Science & Art, Midland, MI, The Nature of Art: An Invitational Exhibition William Baczek Fine Arts, Landscape Exhibition & Summer Exhibition Ann Nathan Gallery, Group Exhibition Twisted Fish Gallery, Elk Rapids, MI, A Natural Selection Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, MI, Art and the Animal Gallery Project, Extremes & Umvelt 2010 William Baczek Fine Arts, Landscape Exhibition & Summer Group Exhibition Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey, MI, Juried Fine Arts Exhibition San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA, Art and the Animal 2009 West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology, Grand Rapids, MI, ArtPrize William Baczek Fine Arts, Landscape Exhibition Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Birmingham, MI, Michigan Fine Arts Competition Gallery Project, Shrines and Altars Ann Nathan Gallery, Fall Group Exhibition 2008 William Baczek Fine Arts, Landscape Exhibition & Summer Group Exhibition Gallery Project, Animal Intelligence Holland Area Arts Council, Holland, MI, The Natural Eye Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, WI, Art and the Animal 2007 William Baczek Fine Arts, Landscape Exhibition & Summer Group Exhibition 2006 WARD Gallery, Harbor Springs, MI, New Dimensions in the Natural World Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT, Art and the Animal Gallery Project, Nature Reperceived 2005 Light Street Gallery, Baltimore, MD, Animal House Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT, Art of the Animal Kingdom The Wildlife Experience, Parker, CO, AMERICAN BIRDS: A Flight Through Time WARD Gallery, Summer Celebration 2004 Fraser Gallery, Washington, DC, Contemporary Realism Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, NJ, Art and the Animal Washington Street Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI, Fifth Year Celebration 2003 Fraser Gallery, Georgetown International 2001 Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, IA, 57th Juried Exhibition Wild Wings, Lake City, MN, Fall Festival 2000 Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Birds in Art (Also 1983-85, 1987, 1992, 1994) Center for the Visual Arts, Wausau, WI, Midwest Winter Cooperstown Art Association, Cooperstown, NY, National 2000 1993 Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wildlife: the Artist's View (Also 1990) 1992 National Park Academy of the Arts, Jackson Hole, WY, Arts for the Parks (Also 1990) 1989 College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn...

Hall is a highly respected contemporary artist. It is framed in a contemporary lacquered off white float frame. The surface of the board is slick and almost photographic in feel. The...