Skip to main content

David Shepherd Paintings

English, 1931-2017

David Shepherd was born in the UK in 1931. He was not only one of his generation’s most well-known artists, but also an outspoken preservationist. At the age of just eight years old, he won a painting competition for the magazine Nursery World, marking the beginning of his painting career. Yet, after his school years, he traveled to Kenya in the hopes of becoming a game warden. Though he was rejected, the trip would ignite his passions for wildlife and wildlife preservation. He continued to paint throughout his lifetime, and many of his canvases took as their subjects the wildlife that he had grown to love. In addition to his animal subjects, he also dedicated paintings to the locomotive. He was a famed collector of steam locomotives, devoting much of his time later in his life to the preservation of these powerful engines. Shepherd was heavily involved in the founding of a heritage steam railway, the East Somerset Railway, and owned a number of historic locomotives. Both his painting of animals and steam engines were remarkably popular amongst the collecting public, and they remain highly prized today.

to
5
3
13
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
4
17
2
11
9
1
12
9
9
8
6
5
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
21
21
4
4
22
785
701
652
644
4
17
4
Artist: David Shepherd
Honey Dust, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Part of David Shepherd's latest series of hyperrealist paintings focusing on women's faces. A sensual portrait rendered in extremely precise painting. Among o...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Plastic
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
In this hyperrealistic painting, David depicts a model holding plastic to her face. The work is meant as a commentary on global warming and a need to plan fo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Loose Lips Sink Ships, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"The flowers hide the face so that you don’t make assumptions about the model, you focus on the beauty of existence," states artist David Shepherd. "You appreciate that they are a person without any impressions of their character. When I compose a painting I think back to my childhood memories. It ties in with what I was saying above. When you’re a child it’s much easier to make friends and enjoy people. That innocence allows for such pure emotion. I always try and get back to that feeling when I’m composing my work."


About the Artist
Canadian artist David Shepherd fuses techniques from both old and modern masters to create contemporary interpretations of the human form. While offering strong nods to pop art and cubism, the work remains grounded by David’s training in 19th Century academic realism. Combining discrete techniques within a single tableau is initially jarring to the viewer, creating an unexpected visual complexity in the work and demonstrating the artist’s breadth of skills. “I think in the future we will be much more interested in works of art that show a mastery of multiple styles,” says David. Each artwork effectually suggests the surreal nature of human existence within a convoluted modern society.


Words that describe this painting: flowers, floral, portrait, realism, hyperrealism, photorealism, hyperreal, face, beauty, eye, rainbow, calm, calming, love, lips, people, large, people, flora, realism, oil painting, pink


Loose Lips...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Healthy Choices II, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist David Shepherd paints a hyperrealistic close-up image of lips sipping on a flower. A torrent of dewy nectar drips slowly to the subject's mouth. Her sp...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Sustension, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Provocative hyperrealist oil painting created with breathtaking detail. Artist David Shepherd used water and flowers to create a feeling of life, and to serve...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Your Eye Is A Diamond (ii), Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage," says artist David Shepherd. He presents a vibrant, realistic piece of a face covered in vibrant flowers. A prismatic light...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Steel Magnolia, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist David Shepherd paints a hyperrealistic image of an eye surrounded by dewy magnolias in full bloom. He explores the idea of united humanity by obscuring the identity of his subject. "As we move forward in history, we move past the limitations of gender and race to see all people as equal and able to have a voice in society and be seen as beautiful," says David. The piece draws a symbolic comparison between the uniqueness of every flower and the singularity of a person.


About the Artist
Canadian artist David Shepherd fuses techniques from both old and modern masters to create contemporary interpretations of the human form. While offering strong nods to pop art and cubism, the work remains grounded by David’s training in 19th Century academic realism. Combining discrete techniques within a single tableau is initially jarring to the viewer, creating an unexpected visual complexity in the work and demonstrating the artist’s breadth of skills. “I think in the future we will be much more interested in works of art that show a mastery of multiple styles,” says David. Each artwork effectually suggests the surreal nature of human existence within a convoluted modern society.


Words that describe this painting: flower, floral, portrait, child, realism, hyperrealism, photorealism, eye, beauty, rainbow, bright, love, petals, detailed, oilpaint, people, people, flora, realism, oil painting, white


Steel Magnolia...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

At Rest, Yet Alert - Watchful Tiger, 2001, David Shepherd Original Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in London, GB
David Shepherd’s At Rest, Yet Alert - Watchful Tiger, 2001 is a masterful example of wildlife art, capturing the raw power and quiet intensity of one of nature’s most formidable pred...
Category

Late 20th Century Impressionist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Maternal Instinct, Painted in 1992
By David Shepherd
Located in London, GB
Image dimensions: 38cm x 61cm Framed dimensions: 52.5cm x 75.5cm Signed lower right. A wonderful, original oil painting by prolific wildlife artist David Shepherd. David Shepherd...
Category

20th Century Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Passing Ships in the Night, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Provocative hyperrealist oil painting created with breathtaking detail. Artist David Shepherd explains that he used the glass surface in this piece as a light...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Gaining Ground, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist David Shepherd promotes and explores the idea of united humanity regardless of who he paints. Focusing on the eye in this hyperrealistic piece, he surr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tiger
By David Shepherd
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 20 x 34 inches Framed size: 28.25 x 42.5 inches Signed lower right
Category

20th Century Impressionist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Giant Refreshed BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Canopus Airliner Aircraft Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
David Shepherd. English ( b.1931 – d.2017 ). Giant Refreshed, 1953. BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, Canopus. Oil On Canvas. Signed & Dated 1953 Lower Right. Image size 19.7 inches x 2...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Kiss, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Part of David Shepherd's latest series of hyperrealist paintings focusing on women's lips. A sensual portrait rendered in extremely precise painting. Among ot...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Lazarus, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Bright pink petals frame a close-up portrait. For artist David Shepherd, the eye—like a fingerprint—uniquely identifies a person, yet their identity, orig...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Blending In, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A hyperrealistic close-up view of an eye surrounded by vibrant red and yellow flowers in full bloom. "The viewer cannot know if the model is a man or woman, a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Grapeshot, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist David Shepherd paints a hyperrealistic portrait of a woman adorned with white flowers. "The eye is like a fingerprint, it uniquely identifies us," says...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Healthy Choices, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
In this provocative hyperrealist painting, artist David Shepherd uses honey and leaves as symbols of health, well-being and sexuality. "By only showing a part...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Within and Without, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
In this hyperrealistic painting of a close-up view of an eye framed by delicate white flowers, artist David Shepherd investigates taking people out of gender....

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Oculus, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Part of David Shepherd's latest series of hyperrealist paintings focusing on women's faces. A sensual portrait rendered in extremely precise painting. Among o...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Never Going Back, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A hyperrealistic painting of a close-up view of an eye framed by glistening white and pink flower petals. Part of artist David Shepherd's series investigating...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

Related Items
"Masks We Wear, Wanting to Grow", Rhinoceros with a Mask Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
3rd Version's (Ben Patterson) "Masks We Wear, Wanting to Grow" is a 2022 oil painting on cradled panel measuring 10 x 10 x 1.5 inches. The work is unframed and ready to hang. This co...
Category

2010s American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Chess Players WPA Depression Era Mid-20th Century American Scene Realism Modern
By Mervin Jules
Located in New York, NY
Chess Players WPA Depression Era Mid-20th Century American Scene Realism Modern. Signed upper right and verso 8 x 10 inches oil on board. BIO The son of a men's haberdasher, Mervin ...
Category

1930s American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Red Ice Block Tongs
By John Morfis
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of an antique pair of tongs, meant for use during ice fishing. Suspended from a small rope, hanging from a single nail, against a grey backdrop. Brushstrokes can be seen in the gray of the background, but are harder to make out on the subject. Morfis paints in an extremely refined, realist approach. Painting dimensions: 25 x 19 inches Framed dimensions: 30 x 24 x 1.5 inches Available at Grenning Gallery. 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...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Red Ice Block Tongs
Red Ice Block Tongs
H 30 in W 24 in D 1.5 in
Unique Painting By Albert Pels WPA Artist!
By Albert Pels
Located in New York, NY
Albert Pels (1910-1998) Painting of a group of figures, c. 20th century. 12 x 16 in. Framed dimensions: 19 1/2 x 23 1/4 in. Albert Pels was an art educator and painter of figures, genre scenes, urban and rural images, and illustration. He also did murals and worked in the mediums of oil, fresco, and watercolor. He was born on May 7, 1910, in Cincinnati, Ohio and died at the age of eighty-eight on January 25, 1998 in New York City. Albert Pels was the son of Samuel and Frieda Pels. He had two children, Joan Barbara and Richard J.A. with his first wife Gertrude Ethel Jaeckel. He later married Yolanda Zemfler, a painter of impressionist art. While in Ohio, Pels attended the Cincinnati Art Academy in 1931 where he won several scholarships. After moving to New York, he continued his education at the Art Students League, Beaux Arts and the American School. At the Art Students League, Pels studied under Thomas Hart Benton, Kenneth Hayes Miller, and Alexander Brook. Under the tutelage of these mentors, Pels evolved his technique and style. Pels was a member of the National Society of Mural Painters, the Salmagundi Club, and the Society of Independent Artists. He was on the board of directors of the Arts Students League in 1939, as well as, on the board the WPA Artists...
Category

20th Century American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The People
By Arnold Blanch
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The People, 1938, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 36 x 48 inches, label verso reads “348 / 89 / Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA / _____ The People / _______ Arnold Blanch ...
Category

1930s American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The People
The People
H 36 in W 48 in D 2 in
"Villa After Dark" realist nocturne painting of Italian farmhouse & dinner party
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Villa After Dark" is a realist nocturne painting of Italian farmhouse & dinner party under the lights. Framed. Signed at bottom left. Carl Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes, nocturnes, and plein-air landscapes. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of America since 2021. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Carl's work has been described in the Washington Post as "simultaneously intimate and detached…The artist's unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and The Ashcan school." Carl holds an MD degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Colorado...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

"Great Lakes South Shore" American Realist oil painting of sunset over harbor
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Great Lakes South Shore" is an oil painting of a sunset over a harbor in Minnesota. Painted en plein air by Midwest realist painter Carl Bretzke. Framed. Signed "C.Bretzke" lower left Carl Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes, nocturnes, and plein-air landscapes. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of America since 2021. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Carl's work has been described in the Washington Post as "simultaneously intimate and detached…The artist's unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and The Ashcan school." Carl holds an MD degree from the University of...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"House of Refuge Museum" oil painting of Historical Society Martin County FL
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a landscape in Florida. The House of Refuge Museum showcases historic work from entrepreneurs and inventors. Bretzke captured it on ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Street Scene, Collioure" oil painting - colorful plein air of town in France
By Marc Dalessio
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Street Scene, Collioure" is a colorful plein air oil painting of town in France. Framed Dimensions: 18 x 14 inches Marc Dalessio was born in 1972...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel, Wood Panel

Hubs Landing
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Hubs Landing" is an oil painting of a marina. Painted en plein air, by Carl Bretzke. Painting Dimensions: 12 x 16 inches Framed dimensions: 17 x 21 inches Carl Bretzke is a rep...
Category

2010s American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Great Lakes Grandeur - 2023 American Realist Sunset Oil Painting in Minnesota
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of sun rays peeking through a clouded sky at one of the Great Lakes. 28.8 x 41 inches, framed American realist painter Carl Bretzke is particularly adept at noctur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

The Troubadour's Love
Located in Zofingen, AG
"A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). The texts of troubadour songs deal mainly with themes of chivalry and ...
Category

2010s American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Troubadour's Love
The Troubadour's Love
H 35.44 in W 27.56 in D 0.79 in
Previously Available Items
The Old Bull, 1994, Original David Shepherd Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in London, GB
Signed lower right. Image dimensions: 15cm x 15cm / 6 inches x 6 inches Framed dimensions: 26.1cm x 26.1cm / 10.3 inches x 10.3 inches David Shepherd is considered to be one of the ...
Category

Late 20th Century Impressionist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Out on the Plains, Painted in 1983
By David Shepherd
Located in London, GB
Image dimensions: 43cm x 77cm Framed dimensions: 61.7cm x 92.6cm Signed lower right. David Shepherd's original oil painting depicts two majestic male lions in the African bush. D...
Category

20th Century Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Family at Rest
By David Shepherd
Located in London, GB
Three zebras relaxing in the sunshine. “I have long admired David Shepherd and his love of the big wild animals. In almost everyone’s eyes he will be forever peerless in his abili...
Category

20th Century David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Deep in the Forest, Jaguar
By David Shepherd
Located in London, GB
A Jaguar by David Shepherd. “I have long admired David Shepherd and his love of the big wild animals. In almost everyone’s eyes he will be forever peerless in his ability to bring...
Category

20th Century David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fresh Start, Oil Painting
By David Shepherd
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Provocative hyperrealist oil painting rendered with breathtaking detail. "The world is a strange place," says artist David Shepherd. "Parents trying to interp...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Oil

In the Sheds, Swindon
By David Shepherd
Located in New Orleans, LA
This exceptional oil on canvas was composed by the great British artist David Shepherd. Masterfully composed, it brings together two of the renowned painter’s passions - painting and steam locomotives. Shepherd owned a number of locomotives, all of them British built, which came to serve as the basis for his most coveted oils. Highly detailed, the works bring to life the majesty and might of British industry through the form of these titans of the railways. In In the Sheds...
Category

20th Century Academic David Shepherd Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

David Shepherd paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic David Shepherd paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of paintings to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of pink, orange, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by David Shepherd in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large David Shepherd paintings, so small editions measuring 13 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Nicholas Berger, Wes Hempel, and Rachel Personett. David Shepherd paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,725 and tops out at $82,590, while the average work can sell for $15,550.

Recently Viewed

View All