Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
British, b. 1951
Ken Orton is a British-born painter renowned for his luminous, hyper-detailed still life paintings, particularly his depictions of glass jars, bottles, and reflective surfaces. Raised in Birmingham, England, Orton’s earliest artistic explorations were inspired by the urban and industrial landscapes of his childhood. He studied art education at Birmingham and Manchester Colleges of Art before beginning his career as an art educator.
After several years teaching in the UK, Orton moved to Mallorca, Spain, where he led the arts program at the Joan Miró Centro de Arte of the Baleares International School. For over two decades, he introduced students to the fundamentals of composition, color theory, and draftsmanship. To this day, many of his former students—now successful artists, architects, and musicians—remain close friends and collaborators.
It was during his teaching years that Orton developed a deep fascination with the study of ellipses and perspective, using glass forms to explore how circular shapes transform in relation to the viewer’s eye-line. This focus would later become central to his own artistic practice.
After relocating to the United States in 1999, Orton discovered a cache of antique mason jars in the root cellar of his home. Their raised lettering, lens-like distortions, and interplay with light became a source of endless inspiration. His paintings capture not just the objects, but the constantly shifting reflections and refractions they create—each work a meditation on light, color, and perception.
Though his paintings often exhibit the precision of photorealism, Orton doesn’t identify as a photorealist. His work embraces both finely detailed focal points and areas of blurred abstraction, combining classical technique with expressive, painterly gestures. He describes his process as musical—each composition unfolding with rhythm, harmony, and tonal dynamics.
Orton’s paintings are not merely representations of objects; they are immersive visual experiences. Viewers often find themselves leaning in, caught by the illusion of photography, before realizing they are in the presence of pure painting. “I love that moment when someone approaches one of my pieces and says, ‘Wow,’” he says.
Now based between the Catskill Mountains of New York and Florida, Ken Orton devotes himself fully to his painting practice. When not in the studio, he’s often found cheering for his beloved hometown football club, Aston Villa.to
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Artist: Ken Orton
Wilmot Rd
By Ken Orton
Located in Lexington, MA
“Wilmot Rd” by Ken Orton is a powerful original oil painting on canvas, measuring 18 x 36 inches. This work captures the weathered beauty of an abandoned Navy aircraft, resting benea...
Category
2010s American Realist Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
Materials
Oil
$18,000
Ken Orton, "Rose Blossom", Blue Glass Jar Still Life Photorealist Oil Painting
By Ken Orton
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Ken Orton's "Rose Blossom" is a 36x54 original oil painting on canvas. This painting depicts a still life setting featuring an up-close cropping of an assortment of glass bottles and jars. Soft and subtle tones of blue bend, reflect and refract through the glass and onto the table below. Ken's paintings are large scale and cropped in a way to create a very dramatic effect.
About the artist:
Ken Orton has dedicated his life to painting. His childhood was spent drawing the urban, industrial surroundings of Birmingham, England. At the Birmingham and then Manchester Colleges of Art he studied Art Education and after six years teaching in England accepted an offer to head the arts program at the Joan Miro Centro de Arte of the Baleares International School in Mallorca, Spain. For the next twenty years he would introduce the concepts of pictorial composition, color theory and draftsmanship to his students. Many of these students would go on to achieve great success in the many branches of the arts, architecture and music and remain close friends with their teacher to this day.
An integral part of Orton’s perspective training for his students was the study of the ellipse. He often used glass cylinders to demonstrate how the perceived ellipses generated by variations in the circle's relationship to the eye-line could be used as a powerful tool in creating the appearance of a third dimension on a two dimensional surface. Later, after he had moved to America in 1999, he discovered a treasure trove of antique mason jars...
Category
2010s Photorealist Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
LeMat Debut
By Ken Orton
Located in Lexington, MA
LeMat Debut by celebrated realist painter Ken Orton is a commanding 36 x 48 inch oil on canvas that fuses photorealistic technique with cinematic storytelling. At first glance, it’s ...
Category
2010s Photorealist Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$21,000
Ken Orton, "Patent Image", 40x60 Photorealist Glass Jar Still Life Oil Painting
By Ken Orton
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Ken Orton's "Patent Image" is a 40x60 original oil painting on canvas. This painting depicts a still life setting featuring a grouping of crystal clear jars and bottles. Included in ...
Category
2010s Photorealist Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ken Orton "Camwal", Bottle Still Life Photorealistic Oil Painting on Canvas
By Ken Orton
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Ken Orton's "Camwal" is a 54x36 original oil painting on canvas. This painting depicts a still life setting featuring multiple antique bottles. The bottles range in size, color and shape, the most prominent of is the middle Camwal bottle. The window in the background adds depth and interest to the composition, and the rusty orange bottle color compliments the subtle soft blues and greens within the clear glass. The artist chooses to paint larger than life still lives, cropping in closely for more impact. Every detail from the reflections on the table, to the illusion of the raised letters on the bottles, is painted masterfully.
About the artist:
Ken Orton has dedicated his life to painting. His childhood was spent drawing the urban, industrial surroundings of Birmingham, England. At the Birmingham and then Manchester Colleges of Art he studied Art Education and after six years teaching in England accepted an offer to head the arts program at the Joan Miro Centro de Arte of the Baleares International School in Mallorca, Spain. For the next twenty years he would introduce the concepts of pictorial composition, color theory and draftsmanship to his students. Many of these students would go on to achieve great success in the many branches of the arts, architecture and music and remain close friends with their teacher to this day.
An integral part of Orton’s perspective training for his students was the study of the ellipse. He often used glass cylinders to demonstrate how the perceived ellipses generated by variations in the circle's relationship to the eye-line could be used as a powerful tool in creating the appearance of a third dimension on a two dimensional surface. Later, after he had moved to America in 1999, he discovered a treasure trove of antique mason jars...
Category
2010s Photorealist Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ken Orton, "Tonic", Photorealistic Colorful Bottles Still Life Oil Painting
By Ken Orton
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Ken Orton's "Tonic" is a 36x54 original oil painting on canvas. This painting depicts a still life setting featuring multiple antique bottles. The bottles range in size, color and shape, some of which are filled with red, yellow, green, or blue liquid. The artist chooses to paint larger than life still lives, cropping in closely for more impact. Every detail from the reflections on the table, to the illusion of the raised letters on the bottles, is painted masterfully.
About the artist:
Ken Orton has dedicated his life to painting. His childhood was spent drawing the urban, industrial surroundings of Birmingham, England. At the Birmingham and then Manchester Colleges of Art he studied Art Education and after six years teaching in England accepted an offer to head the arts program at the Joan Miro Centro de Arte of the Baleares International School in Mallorca, Spain. For the next twenty years he would introduce the concepts of pictorial composition, color theory and draftsmanship to his students. Many of these students would go on to achieve great success in the many branches of the arts, architecture and music and remain close friends with their teacher to this day.
An integral part of Orton’s perspective training for his students was the study of the ellipse. He often used glass cylinders to demonstrate how the perceived ellipses generated by variations in the circle's relationship to the eye-line could be used as a powerful tool in creating the appearance of a third dimension on a two dimensional surface. Later, after he had moved to America in 1999, he discovered a treasure trove of antique mason jars...
Category
2010s Photorealist Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ken Orton, "Mandrake" Rainbow Glass Bottle Still Life Photorealist Oil Painting
By Ken Orton
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Ken Orton's "Mandrake" is a 54x36 original oil painting on canvas. This painting depicts a still life setting featuring multiple antique bottles and jars. The bottles range in size, color and shape, the most prominent of is Presto jar. Light from the background adds depth and interest to the composition, and the warm orange tones shining through the foreground glass compliments the subtle soft blues and greens within the clear glass. The artist chooses to paint larger than life still lives, cropping in closely and creating a fish-eye lens effect for more impact. Every detail from the reflections on the table, to the illusion of the raised letters on the bottles, is painted masterfully.
About the artist:
Ken Orton has dedicated his life to painting. His childhood was spent drawing the urban, industrial surroundings of Birmingham, England. At the Birmingham and then Manchester Colleges of Art he studied Art Education and after six years teaching in England accepted an offer to head the arts program at the Joan Miro Centro de Arte of the Baleares International School in Mallorca, Spain. For the next twenty years he would introduce the concepts of pictorial composition, color theory and draftsmanship to his students. Many of these students would go on to achieve great success in the many branches of the arts, architecture and music and remain close friends with their teacher to this day.
An integral part of Orton’s perspective training for his students was the study of the ellipse. He often used glass cylinders to demonstrate how the perceived ellipses generated by variations in the circle's relationship to the eye-line could be used as a powerful tool in creating the appearance of a third dimension on a two dimensional surface. Later, after he had moved to America in 1999, he discovered a treasure trove of antique mason jars...
Category
2010s Photorealist Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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Ken Orton has dedicated his life to painting. His childhood was spent drawing the urban, industrial surroundings of Birmingham, England. At the Birmingham and then Manchester Colleges of Art he studied Art Education and after six years teaching in England accepted an offer to head the arts program at the Joan Miro Centro de Arte of the Baleares International School in Mallorca, Spain. For the next twenty years he would introduce the concepts of pictorial composition, color theory and draftsmanship to his students. Many of these students would go on to achieve great success in the many branches of the arts, architecture and music and remain close friends with their teacher to this day.
An integral part of Orton’s perspective training for his students was the study of the ellipse. He often used glass cylinders to demonstrate how the perceived ellipses generated by variations in the circle's relationship to the eye-line could be used as a powerful tool in creating the appearance of a third dimension on a two dimensional surface. Later, after he had moved to America in 1999, he discovered a treasure trove of antique mason jars...
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2010s Photorealist Ken Orton Still-life Paintings
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Canvas, Oil
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Ken Orton still-life paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Ken Orton still-life paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ken Orton in canvas, fabric, oil paint 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 Photorealist style. Not every interior allows for large Ken Orton still-life paintings, so small editions measuring 36 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Michel Brosseau, Elena Molinari, and Randy Ford. Ken Orton still-life paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $11,500 and tops out at $11,500, while the average work can sell for $11,500.