Michael Kotasek Paintings

Colliers Magazine 1947 American Scene Social Realism Modern Families in the Snow Katherine Wiggins (American 20th Century) "The Shrimp" 20 x 24 inch...

Fishing for Breakfast 8" x 10" Gouache on Illustrated Board Finished with Renaissance Wax Gouache (/ɡuˈɑːʃ, ɡwɑːʃ/; French: [ɡwaʃ]), body color,[a] or opaque watercolor is a wat...

In First Light (2024), Alan Bray captures the quiet majesty of dawn over Spencer Pond, Maine. This luminous casein tempera on panel painting (15 x 24 inches) depicts a breathtaking s...

As the artist states about this painting: "I first photographed this farm because it had one of the last living Elm trees in our area. Most began dying in the 70's and there are very...

Original holiday greeting card Illustration of a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and bows. Medium: Egg Tempera on Gesso Panel Signature: Unsigned Charlotte Joan Sternberg was born in Meriden, Connecticut in 1920. Early on, she became interested in art, and her parents encouraged her efforts. She attended public schools in the area, as well as taking art classes at the technical school. Afterwards, she attended the Yale School of Art. Her fellow classmates included Rudolph Zallinger, who executed the dinosaur mural at the Peabody Museum in New Haven; Jean Day Zallinger, renowned book illustrator; and Edward Paier, founder of the Paier College of Art. It was there that she became interested in egg tempera, and most of her well-known artwork was done in this medium. She was one of a number of Yale artists who revived this medium.(She did not work professionally in oils, although she sometimes used gouache or watercolor.) She went on to a long career in commercial illustration. She worked extensively for J.Walter Thompson, doing advertising art for such companies as Esso (later Exxon), Textron, and Lederle pharmaceuticals. While she did a variety of subjects, she was best known for her Americana themes, particularly snow scenes of historic New England. Many of these pieces were published as Christmas cards for American Artists Group. She also taught for many years at the Paier College of Art. She also did a number of limited edition prints for Greenwich Workshop. Her art is used on such items as tapestry pillows, puzzles, and decorative flags. She was commissioned to do several portraits, including those of Gov.John...

This mural study is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1930s Industry and Commerce, 1936, tempera on panel, 16 ½ x 39 ½ inches, signed verso “John Ballator, Portland Ore.” provenance includes: J.C. Penney Company, represented by Russell Tether Fine Arts Assoc.; presented in a newer wood frame About the Painting Industry and Commerce is a prime example of WPA Era muralism. Like a Mediaeval alter, this mural study is filled with icons, but the images of saints and martyrs are replaced with symbols of America's gospel of prosperity through capitalism. Industry and Commerce has a strong narrative quality with vignettes filling the entire surface. Extraction, logistics, design, power generation, and manufacturing for printing, chemicals, automobiles and metal products are all represented. To eliminate any doubt about the mural's themes, Ballator letters a description into the bottom of the study. Ballator also presents an idealized version of industrial cooperation, as his workers, lab-coated technicians and tie-wearing managers work harmoniously toward a common goal in the tidy and neatly designed environments. Although far from the reality of most industrial spaces, Ballator's study reflects the idealized and morale boosting tone that many mural projects adopted during the Great Depression. About the Artist John R Ballator achieved success as a muralist, lithographer, and teacher during the Great Depression. Born in Oregon, he studied at the Portland Museum Art School, the University of Oregon and at Yale University where he received a Bachelor of Fine Art. In 1936, Ballator was commissioned to paint a mural panel for the new Department of Justice Building in Washington DC, an important project that spanned five years with several dozen artists contributing a total of sixty-eight designs. Ballator completed murals for the St. Johns Post Office and Franklin High School, both in Portland, Oregon. He also contributed to the 1938 murals at Nathan Hale School in New Haven, Connecticut. During the late 1930s, Ballator taught art for several years at Washburn College in Topeka, Kanas, where he completed a mural for the Menninger Arts & Craft Shop before accepting a professorship at Hollins College...

"La Cage Aux Fowls" A tongue in cheek swipe at the artist and his muse, the nude and of course the chicken. An oil on canvas circa 1980, signed G. Lester of Ardsley, New York (Americ...

A fine naive landscape painting with a windmill by American artist Janet Munro (b. 1949). Munro was born in Woburn, MA, and her work focuses o...

Douglas Safranek's Touch of Green calls back to 17th century Dutch still lifes. Filled with humor and complexity, Safranek's rather const...

This original signed 1941 egg tempera painting by Colorado artist Charles Bunnell (1897-1968) captures the serene beauty of the Front Range, featuring Pikes Peak blanketed in snow du...

Fred Wessel's "Iris (Revisted)" is a stunning egg tempera painting on gold leaf. Created in 2014, this piece depicts a young woman, looking inquisitively over her shoulder. The gold ...

Fred Wessel's "Autumn's Last Rose" is a stunning egg tempera painting on gold leaf with dyed coral cabochons. Created in 2024, this piece features a freshly bloomed red rose, resting...