A forerunner of the post-painterly abstraction movement, contemporary artist Gary Komarin approaches each composition with a pure openness to inspiration. With every brushstroke, he builds a visual interpretation of his mindset in that moment, never knowing what he's going to paint next. Komarin asserts that, for him, "the best paintings are the paintings that paint themselves."
Komarin invites risk into his abstract work, and employs daring in every element of his pieces. From his adventurous deployment of spackle and house paint as mediums to his playful use of color and imperfect lines, he pulls forms from a backdrop of consciousness, rather than merely delivering images to a surface. He enjoys instilling a child's sense of wonder into his abstractions and still-lifes, invoking a toddler's experience of "seeing things without knowing what they are."
Born in New York City, Komarin is the son of a Czech architect and Austrian author. He attended art school at Boston University, where painter Phillip Guston became a mentor. Much of Komarin's work nods to Guston, without mimicking or replicating the latter’s signature cartoonish style.
Komarin has exhibited in the United States, Asia, the United Kingdom and throughout continental Europe. In 1996, his work was included in an exhibition at 41 Green Street in New York. He has received numerous awards, including the New York Foundation for the Arts grant in painting, the Joan Mitchell Prize in Painting and the Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship. Komarin lives in rural Connecticut, where he continues to create new work.
Find original Gary Komarin paintings, drawings and mixed media works on 1stDibs.
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in c...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Cake Stacked, Barcelona
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake Stacked, Barcelona, 2025 Signed by the artist Enamel paint on wood panel 127 x 61 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths,...
Enamel
$16,100
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on paper 35 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in contem...
Paper, Acrylic
$16,100
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on paper 35 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in contem...
Paper, Acrylic
Stacked Cake: Black on Pale Pink and Grey
By Gary Komarin
Located in Fairfield, CT
Unique; water-based enamel paint on paper bags
Enamel
Orange Cake Stacked on White
By Gary Komarin
Located in Fairfield, CT
Unique; Water-based enamel paint on paper stacks
Enamel
Small Canvas
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Small Canvas, 2024 Oil on canvas 35.6 x 27.9 cm 14 x 11 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin ...
Canvas, Oil
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in c...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake , 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 127 x 61 cm 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin fi...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in c...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Cake Stacked, Galisteo
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake Stacked, Galisteo, 2025 Signed by the artist Enamel paint on wood panel 127 x 61 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, ...
Enamel
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in c...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$16,100
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on paper 35 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in contem...
Paper, Acrylic
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in c...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in c...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Red Cake Stacked on White
By Gary Komarin
Located in Fairfield, CT
Unique; Water-based enamel paint on paper stacks
Enamel
Cake Stacked: White on Turquoise
By Gary Komarin
Located in Fairfield, CT
Unique; Water-based enamel paint on paper stacks
Enamel
Cake Stacked: Bright Pink on White
By Gary Komarin
Located in Fairfield, CT
Unique; Water-based enamel paint on paper stacks
Enamel
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake, 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin finds room in c...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$25,300
Cake
By Gary Komarin
Located in London, GB
Gary Komarin Cake , 2023 Acrylic on wood panel 127 x 61 cm 50 x 24 inches Eschewing traditional materials in favor of tarps and drop cloths, spackle and house paint, Gary Komarin fi...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Mixed Media Painting by Gary Komarin 'The French Wig (white)'
By Gary Komarin
Located in White Plains, NY
'The French Wig (white)' 2015 by American artist, Gary Komarin. Mixed media on canvas, 14 x 11 in. Wigs are among Komarin’s most recognizable idiosyncratic images. This faux naive wo...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Mixed Media Painting by Gary Komarin 'The French Wig (blue)'
By Gary Komarin
Located in White Plains, NY
'The French Wig (blue)' 2016 by American artist, Gary Komarin. Mixed media on canvas, 14 x 11 in. Wigs are among Komarin’s most recognizable idiosyncratic images. This faux naive wor...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$2,250
H 23.5 in W 21 in
"Evening Before Haircut--Self-Portrait, " Acrylic and Enamel by Reginald K. Gee
By Reginald K. Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Evening Before Haircut--Self-Portrait" is an original acrylic and enamel painting on paper by Reginald K. Gee. The artist signed the piece lower right. It depicts the artist in blac...
Enamel
Finding the Sun
By Gwen Wong
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gwen Wong's work is both painterly and allegorical, caught somewhere in the middle between the representational painter and the narrator. "I am inspired by the idea of a childhood re...
Gold Leaf
$1,000
H 16.5 in W 16.5 in D 1 in
"Muzzle" Surrealist Urban Street Art Mixed Media Painting on Wood Board
By Santiago Fuentes Bo
Located in New York, NY
Santiago Fuente Bo pieces are exceptionally high in detail, but as well are playful and thought provoking. He is influenced with the ever-changing idea of what home means. His consta...
Enamel
$5,000
H 31.5 in W 31.5 in D 1.58 in
French Contemporary Art by M.-P. Autonne - Calme et Volupté des Bleus
By Marie-Pierre Autonne
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic & oil on wooden panel Marie-Pierre Autonne is a French artist born in 1960 who lives & works in Angers, France. She studied at Penninghen in Paris, France. She work...
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Oil
$3,250
H 18 in W 24 in D 1 in
"Dont Belong Here" (FRAMED) Painting 18" x 24" inch by Antonio Pelayo
By Antonio Pelayo
Located in Culver City, CA
"Dont Belong Here" (FRAMED) Painting 18" x 24" inch by Antonio Pelayo Medium: Pencil on Paper, Acrylic Ink & Paint on Animation Acetate Size: 18" x 24" inch Size framed: 20" x ...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Pencil
Outside Choice, Pop Art Painting by Michael Knigin
By Michael Knigin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Michael Knigin, American (1942 - 2011) Title: Outside Choice Year: 1984 Medium: Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, signed l.l. and verso Size: 34 x 96 in. (86.36 x 243.84 cm) Fram...
Enamel
Oil Painting /Portrait/ Figurative Art / Human Figure /Museum
By Bruce Adams
Located in Buffalo, NY
Bruce Adams was a painter, art educator, and writer. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1952, he received a B.S. in 1976 and an M.A. in 1983 from Buffalo State College. Adams’s work is includ...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,715
H 20 in W 20 in D 1.5 in
Canadian Contemporary Art by Christian Frederiksen - Glory
By Christian Frederiksen
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on wood panel Christian Frederiksen is a Georgian artist born in 1989 who lives and works in Calgary, Canada. He loves to experiment with new ways of creating imagery by col...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
The Donkey and the Horse
By Gabriel Mendoza
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gabriel Mendoza El burro y el caballo (The Donkey and the Horse), 2025 Gold leaf and black bole on wood panel 15.75 x 23.62 x 1 inches This one-of-a-kind painting is mounted on wood...
Gold Leaf
Animals on their Way to the Assembly
By Gabriel Mendoza
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gabriel Mendoza Animales rumbo a la asamblea (Animals on their Way to the Assembly), 2025 Gold leaf and black bole on wood panel 15.75 x 23.62 x 1 inches This one-of-a-kind painting...
Gold Leaf
Infanta - oil and gold leaf Contemporary Art
By Elena Zolotnitsky
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Infanta' is a contemporary portrait of a young woman created in oil and gold leaf on wood panel. from Russian American Elena Zolotnitsky who is Inspired by the concepts of beauty, a...
Gold, Gold Leaf
$4,008
H 36.03 in W 36.03 in D 1.58 in
French Contemporary Art by M.-P. Autonne - Heureuse Mélancolie
By Marie-Pierre Autonne
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic and oil on wooden panel Marie-Pierre Autonne is a French artist born in 1960 who lives & works in Angers, France. She studied at Penninghen in Paris, France. She worked for ...
Wood Panel, Oil, Acrylic
$1,800
H 10.5 in W 12.75 in D 4 in
Book Sculpture Paper Mache Enamel Painting Jean Lowe Please Don't Eat Daisy
By Jean Lowe
Located in Surfside, FL
Jean Lowe (American, b. 1960) Book-form sculpture, 2004 "Please Don't Eat Daisy", Enamel painted papier-mache Hand signed and dated verso Dimensions 10.5"h x 12.75"w x 4"d This ...
Enamel
Spring- 21st Century Contemporary
By Pam Hawkes
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
This painting is made by Pam Hawkes. On the painting you see the portrait of a woman This British artist is new to the Netherlands, her work is now a household name in the rest of ...
Gold Leaf
Exotic, 2019
Located in Jersey City, NJ
"Exotic," 2019. Enamel on panel, sign painting, black, white, and red. Hand lettering
Enamel
Cake Stacked: Blue on White
By Gary Komarin
Located in Fairfield, CT
Unique; Water-based enamel paint on paper stacks
Enamel
Cake Stacked: Blue on Yellow
By Gary Komarin
Located in Fairfield, CT
Unique; Water-based enamel paint on paper stacks
Enamel