UGallery Animal Paintings
Artist Comments
Two geese turn to regard the viewer along the grassy bank of a quiet lake. "Growing up with my older sister, my mom would always dress us in the exact same clothes," shares Jo Galang. "With the same haircut and similar looks, people would always mistake us for twins since we were almost the same size and height. It was fun back then but as we grew up, we each evolved into our own distinct personalities."
About the Artist
Artist Jo Galang expresses a quiet nostalgia in her airy interpretations of the landscapes and waterways of the Pacific Northwest. Her soft oil paintings capture the meditative sounds of rivers and waterfalls flowing past her easel. During the summer, she spends as much time as possible outside creating plein air sketches and studying the light on the landscape. As a young art student in the Philippines, Jo was privileged to study with the renowned painter Danilo Dalena, who she says encouraged her to be the artist she is today. "I believe my art looks simple enough that people have no idea how much time I have spent working on it," she says. When she is not painting, Jo and her husband enjoy taking road trips, playing cards and finding creative ways to spend time with their granddaughter.
Words that describe this painting: animals, birds, Canada geese, geese, lake, landscape, nature, summer, water, waterfowl, grass, classical, wildlife, animals, classical, realism, representational, oil painting, green
Two Peas in a Pod...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A strong gazelle turns to regard the viewer, with a brilliant landscape drawing the eye into the distance. "There will always be favor when walking on the pat...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Emil Morhardt captures a sanderling scurrying along the edge of incoming surf. "In a second, he'll turn around and follow ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A delicate portrait of a Canada goose against a pastel backdrop. "Spending time alone in nature is something I take advantage of whenever possible," shares ar...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"This is a calf from a herd I met in Pagosa Springs, Colorado," shares artist Heather Foster. "I wanted the bold underpainting to show through and give a dist...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"These two long-billed curlews are gazing at us with an unmistakable curiosity," says artist Emil Morhardt. "Like many shorebirds, when I sat on the beach qui...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A playful and harmonious scene of a woman riding on the tail of a blue whale, created in artist Jessica JH Roller's signature folk-art style. Jessica says the...
21st Century and Contemporary More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Using her signature folk art-style, artist Jessica JH Roller captures an endearing portrait of a wolf and two hedgehogs in a verdant abstract landscape. Jessi...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A close-up view of two ducks looking astutely at the viewer. "There's something highly engaging, and perhaps a little unsettling, about the way these young fe...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"These two glowing marbled godwits are painted at the edge of the surf on a soft late evening on a Santa Barbara beach," sh...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
With a determined expression, a Pointer leaps out of the water over a colorful beach ball. Artist Jeff Fleming describes his painting style as kinetic impressionism. He started the piece with a pencil sketch on the canvas, then with gloved hands, he applied oil paint using his fingers. Details were later added using brushes. Once these layers of paint dried, he moved the piece to his studio floor. "At this point, I whisked paint in random but authoritative strokes - a speckling technique which replicates water splashing."
About the Artist
Artist Jeff Fleming uses fingerpainting to create exuberant portraits of dogs. Growing up in Southern California, Jeff was first introduced to fingerpainting in kindergarten. He painted through high school and college and won several art awards, including Best of Show in a city wide student competition. After graduating with a degree in journalism and advertising, he went to work as an art director. For the next 40 years, he created print, radio and television ads for a number of top agencies. "After retiring in 2019, the clouds of stress and pressure cleared and allowed me to set my creative energy free," says Jeff. He began developing new techniques focused on the excitement and energy of painting. Today, he uses a variety of methods and tools, including fingerpainting wearing nitrile gloves, traditional paint brushes, bamboo shish kebab sticks, kite string, spraypaint and splattering. While working, Jeff always listens to music, including Broadway musicals, dance music and rhythmic Hawaiian tunes.
Words that describe this painting: Pointer, dog, impressionism, Iris Scott...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A pop art-style portrait of a powerful leopard, surrounded by bursts of bright vivid colors and flowing brushwork. The big cat stares into the distance, undi...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Candice Eisenfeld shares the myth of The Dancing Birds and the Flood, "A young shepherd in China interpreted the dances of birds in the sky. He warned the elders in his region about a looming flood, but no-one believed him. Taking matters into his own hands, he made 1000 cranes from paper, working for weeks with little sleep with the wish to keep his townspeople safe. When the floods came, his town was spared heavy destruction while nearby villages were swept away. The young shepherd was later called Yu the Great."
About the Artist
As an American exploring issues of identity, artist Candice Eisenfeld paints through the lens of the first American art...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A stoic portrait of a cheetah looking out over a glowing sunset, with the animal's cool and collected pose amplified by the painterly surroundings. "This piece gives a sense of the calm before the storm - of inner peace," says artist Miranda Gamel. "The cheetah is looking out into the fast landscape, looking for a sign, all while knowing there will be one to find."
About the Artist
The daughter of two artists, Miranda Gamel grew up with artistic aspirations. “When I was young, I couldn’t imagine that I would be anything else… it only seemed natural,” she says. She further developed her skills with her teachers (and fellow UGallery artists) John and Elli Milan. Miranda’s paintings exist on the edge of the surreal and the fantastical while remaining grounded in human emotion. Each painting, through its dynamic imagery, conveys the spirit embodied by the composition’s subject. Miranda’s ultimate goal is to portray each individual “being their true, raw, authentic self.”
Words that describe this painting: cheetah, wildlife, big cat, desert, sunset, animal, calm, expressionism, animals, non-representational, oil painting, purple
New Horizon...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A surreal portrait of a jaguar overlaid with a glowing peony. "She moves unapologetically through space, through water, through the land," says artist Miranda...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"This horse was just one in the midst of a crowd at the Santa Fe rodeo - a group that was waiting in the pens behind the action," shares artist Heather Foster...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"There is that point when kids are looking grown but at the same time still look like the young kids that they are," muses artist Heather Foster. "This guy wa...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"I had to have my roof replaced last year and to my dismay, a cardinal couple had made a nest on a tree limb that would have been in the way of the roofers taking off old shingles," shares artist Judy Mackey...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist More Art
Oil
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"Common Ravens are a friendly lot, hanging around in large groups at an abundant food source or pairing off to wander as a couple," ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"A New Kingdom was created through the idea of coming and going, moving through new thresholds, from one paradise to the next," exp...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"Ravens look highly intelligent," says artist Emil Morhardt. "This one was slowly and purposefully striding back and forth about ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
In this fantastical jungle scene, artist Miranda Gamel uses tigers as a symbol of strength and leadership. "Placing the tigers in the fire is meant to bring c...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
I saw this pair zooming around my house, cawing wildly on some crow mission," says artist Emil Morhardt. "One would think that Common Crows are black, but in ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"These two friends were at the Santa Fe rodeo grounds, early in the morning, just after they were fed," shares artist Heather Foster. "They were relaxed toget...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This painting depicts a pair of cheerful woodland creatures," explains artist Kira Yustak. "Two chipmunks scamper around on a log in the forest. It's a great...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Heather Foster encountered this inquisitive subject while painting en plein air. "This nosy California girl wanted to be front and center to see what t...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A female figure in striking red, black and white posed with a playful pink flamingo. Both poised and seemingly in the middle of a dance, oblivious of the othe...
21st Century and Contemporary More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A whimsical and dramatic portrait of a stylish figure posed with a lion. "I wanted to create a striking fantasy, playing up the sophistication of the model ag...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A whimsical, folk art style painting of nature interacting with a human in the forest. A snake wraps itself around the outstretched hand while a cardinal rest...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A family portrait style painting of artist Jessica JH Roller's four cats. She stylized the animals' features, focusing on each subject's unique patterns and m...
21st Century and Contemporary Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Using thick brushstrokes and dripping paint, artist Alana Clumeck rendered this white stallion in a powerful and intuitive pose. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Long-Billed Curlews, some of the largest of the shorebirds, often hang out together, milling around at the edge of the surf, then wading in to feed. I spotted...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
When artist Jo Galang moved to Vancouver many years ago, she and her family settled in the city near Stanley Park. "On frequent visits to the park, we would o...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Of this great voyage, Andrea Doss says, "She is a great adventurer of many lands, where she has seen a million places and times, a...
21st Century and Contemporary More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Alana's Wallpaper series is a juxtaposition between masculine and feminine. "I wanted to create a unique series that stands apart from traditional nature pai...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Alana gracefully brings together a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns in this portrait of a peacock. The bird rests peacefully on an outstretched branch, a ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A lone wolf trots in the snow, encircled with a red halo. In the background, herring swim among a flower pattern, inspired from her childhood memories growing...
21st Century and Contemporary Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"This painting was inspired by the idea that we are shaped by outside forces, but remain unchanged, we persist in the face of adversity," says Shao. "It is what makes us human." Shao's energetic paintings of stallions explore and illustrate movement through nature. This work represents an immigrant's journey, filled with strength and perseverance. Shao incorporates both contemporary watercolor and traditional ink calligraphy styles into this series of oil paintings.
About the Artist
Art has been with Shao Yuan Zhang for the majority of his extraordinary, and at times difficult, life journey. Raised in communist China...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"This painting was inspired by the idea that we are shaped by outside forces, but remain unchanged, we persist in the face of adversity," says Shao. "It is what makes us human." Shao's energetic paintings of stallions explore and illustrate movement through nature. This work represents an immigrant's journey, filled with strength and perseverance. Shao incorporates both contemporary watercolor and traditional ink calligraphy styles into this series of oil paintings.
About the Artist
Art has been with Shao Yuan Zhang for the majority of his extraordinary, and at times difficult, life journey. Raised in communist China...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Symbols of home and family juxtaposed with adventure, discovery and flight are re-occurring themes in Candice's work. A hummingbird boldly flies away from its...
21st Century and Contemporary Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting is of a black swallowtail butterfly. The butterfly is painted larger than life to show all of the detail. It has a mystical quality as the butterfly seems to float above the garden with a few stars beginning to appear on a lavender sky.
About the Artist
Kira Yustak paints fantastical scenes that come from her childhood memories, dreams, and the natural world. Each piece feels like part of a larger narrative of an alternative reality, rendered in a style she describes as comic realism. She feels art must trigger something inside the viewer’s soul.Kira currently lives in New Jersey and finds inspiration in the work of Lowbrow, Folk, and Surrealist artists.
Words that describe this painting: butterfly, insect, garden, stars, wings, animals, representational, acrylic painting, purple
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The area in northwestern New Jersey where the artist lives has a large deer population. This painting is a scene revealing a portion of the yard in the home o...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Celebrating the transition of summer into fall, featuring a white fox in a field of golden and rust colored chrysanthemums. This painting is part of a series ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Oil
Tara's reference photo was a view of a waterfall in a lush forest in Costa Rica. She combined this with the vertical aesthetic of tradi...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Emil Morhardt photographed this tern from the National Geographic Orion cruise ship off Tahiti in May 2019. These birds, he says, are large, beautiful, extrem...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The bison and the beetle have a prehistoric elegance about them that I thought would compliment each other perfectly. Symbolically, both represent life and mortality, which has been on my mind lately. To Native Americans, bison are symbolic of sacred life and abundance. And in ancient greek mythology the beetle became revered as a symbol of rebirth and immortality -- its daily journey across the sky became an allegory of human life. The Wallpaper collection is a juxtaposition of masculine meets feminine. I wanted to create a unique series that stands apart from traditional nature paintings, where the wild and somewhat prehistoric aspects of my animals featured contrast against their delicate backdrops. In addition to this, many of my paintings are created with a little bit of underlying symbolism usually sparked from a world event or life moment that I am experiencing. I concentrate on this theme as a therapeutic mantra throughout the creation of the painting. For each painting, different techniques and layers of design are implemented when creating the wall paper effect. To keep the patterns consistent I create a stencil to outline the shapes of my hummingbirds, bugs and fish, and then I hand paint each shape individually. In the areas where I wanted a little more chaos, I would forgo the stencil and eyeball each design. My animals are always painted first, and then I layout the design around them.
About the Artist
Australian-born Alana Clumeck...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Willets are usually at the edge of the surf, poking into the wet sand as they follow each wave in and out. This one, when I came on him, was standing above th...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Sometimes these handsome ducks, who feed at the Santa Barbara Bird Refuge by plowing through the water with their bills open, take a break from shoveling and ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
When I walk along Santa Barbara beaches in winter, Marbled Godwits are the most common bird, often seen in herds, as in thi...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
I wanted to paint a pair of snakes that are intertwined like a puzzle. It is difficult to tell where one ends and one begins.
About the Artist
Kira Yustak paints fantastical scenes that come from her childhood memories, dreams, and the natural world. Each piece feels like part of a larger narrative of an alternative reality, rendered in a style she describes as comic realism. She feels art must trigger something inside the viewer’s soul.Kira currently lives in New Jersey and finds inspiration in the work of Lowbrow, Folk, and Surrealist artists.
Green Snakes...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by the idea that we are shaped by outside forces, but remain unchanged, we persist in the face of adversity. It is what makes us human. My energetic oil paintings of stallions explore and illustrate movement through nature. This work represents an immigrant journey or strength and perseverance. I incorporate both contemporary (watercolor) and traditional (ink calligraphy) painting styles into this series.
About the Artist
Art has been with Shao Yuan Zhang for the majority of his extraordinary, and at times difficult, life journey. Raised in communist China...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by the idea that we are shaped by outside forces, but remain unchanged, we persist in the face of adversity. It is what makes us human. My energetic oil paintings of stallions explore and illustrate movement through nature. This work represents an immigrant journey or strength and perseverance. I incorporate both contemporary (watercolor) and traditional (ink calligraphy) painting styles into this series.
About the Artist
Art has been with Shao Yuan Zhang for the majority of his extraordinary, and at times difficult, life journey. Raised in communist China...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by my view from a hotel balcony in Paris. I captured the motion and texture of the moment in my signature style to inspire the view...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist More Art
Oil
