All Blog Posts Tagged 'paintings' (74)

Canadian Jason de Graaf is one of those artists that creates works that will boggle your mind. At first glance you think you're just looking at fun photos of childhood toys like action figures, comic books and marbles. These are actually acrylic paintings that are so precisely detailed, with life-like colors, perfect shadows and incredible reflections, that one's left scratching…

What is it that's so mesmerizing about a breaking wave? Is is their power, their energy or the fact that no two will ever be alike? Pusan, Korea-born artist Kim Cogan explores the mystery surrounding waves in his unique set of oil paintings. When he first embarked on this series, back in 2010, he asked himself this question, "How can I capture and convey the hypnotic rhythms of the sea through…

You'll want to remember the name Paolo Troilo. A fast rising star in the art scene, the 40-year-old is known for his incredibly expressive black and white works that have a photorealistic quality about them. Of course, that's not the most interesting part. The highly energetic pieces were not created by charcoal or pastel, they were made by splattering and spreading paint on…

Berlin, Germany-based artist Moki finds inspiration in Japanese artist Hayao Miyazaki's work (Spirited Away) as well as in nature. Her acrylic paintings are filled with images of northern landscapes or as she describes more specifically as "isolated Scandinavian and Icelandic terrain, a subarctic frozen lake continent, untouched caves and moss meadows, and mountains sculpted into…

Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju makes large scale paintings of waterfalls using interesting materials and an age old technique. His method involves creating paints by grinding mineral pigments from natural materials like stone, shell and corals into powder, binding them with animal-hide glue, and then, with extreme delicacy, pouring this paint onto Japanese mulberry paper. This approach…

Belgium-based artist Christiane Vleugels is a talented illustrator who creates incredibly lifelike paintings of human figures and faces. The artist, who has been drawing from a very young age, has mastered her techniques in order to produce these extremely realistic depictions of people. Her skilled use of light and shadow creates such detail that viewers may think they are…

Ready to be blown away? After studying at the The American Academy of Art in Chicago from 1985 to 1986, Steven Kozar decided to drop out of art school. He had heard too many stories about commercial artists working for twenty or thirty years and then finally deciding to pursue their life's passion - fine art painting. With the love of the outdoors and exploring the…

Pep Ventosa gives our cities' trees the attention they deserve in this beautiful series he calls In the Round - Trees. Though they first appear like impressionist paintings, you'd be surprised to find out that they're actually dozens of photographs of the same tree merged into one. Ventosa circles a tree, shooting it multiple times at all different angles. Though he gives each tree…

Last week, artist Dave White opened an exciting exhibition in London called Natural Selection. While we're used to seeing his dripping and splattering watercolor paintings, we hadn't yet explored his stronger, abstract oil painting side.

Natural…

Given the recent heat wave that has hit New York City, artist Philip Barlow's blurry renditions of a crowded city really resonate with me. The South Africa-based painter's series simply titled The City depicts a photorealistic interpretation of a busy, out-of-focus urban setting that seems to reflect the glow of a vibrant sun beating down on the pavements. Barlow captures the soft focus…

Artist Simon Monk just tipped us off to his fresh new paintings. Adding to his already popular series, Secret Identity, Monk paints the dynamic duo Batman and Robin (otherwise known as Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake) as trapped toys. Check out…

Inspired by Flemish paintings, particularly those by famed Dutch painter Rembrandt, photographer Sacha Goldberger has created a beautiful set of portraits. "I like the light and the way characters pose and look at you," he says.

Goldberger not only worked with a team on costumes, make-up and hair, he enlisted the help of some highly unconventional friends. "All of the…

Head on over to The Hole in New York right now (until May 26) and you'll be able to experience an amazingly colorful exhibit by Holton Rower. The first New York solo exhibition for the artist, "Pour Paintings" is just that, they're paintings created by carefully pouring paint over plywood. The result is incredible color combinations that are stunningly psychedelic. Make sure to watch the video…

Maine-based Robert Dowling Jr. creates wonderfully whimsical stories with a slightly surreal touch. The self-taught artist, who works primarily in acrylics and oils, often paints characters with their faces covered or turned away. Love art like this that both children and adults can enjoy in their own…

When you see these paintings by artist Tobias Tovera, you may find yourself getting lost in the shifting, swirling sea of lines and shapes. The strokes of vibrant color evoke a sense of energy and the layers of pigment undulate across the panels in these complex scenes. Some of his pieces are reminiscent of distant nature landscapes. In the abstract shapes, I can almost see the ghostly…

Swiss artist Andy Denzler depicts a hazy, abstract world in these oil on canvas paintings. The works are a collection of muted scenes, distorted by smears of brushstrokes and blurs of paint. Viewing his work is like trying to draw on a fuzzy memory or make sense of a low-resolution photograph on a computer screen.

The basic form of each subject is clear, but the details challenge the…

By now you've probably heard about contemporary artist Damien Hirst's exhibition called The Complete Spot Paintings, which opened in January 2012 at all 11 Gagosian galleries across the world including locations in New York, London, Los Angeles and Rome. (You can read about it over at…

Chinese artist Qian Yi has composed these intriguing illustrations by combining elements of digital painting with more traditional styles. Many of them incorporate a sense of adventure with the traveling boy series of works. Yi is able to incorporate all kinds of color palettes and perspectives to effectively portray the message of the pieces. These illustrations would fit perfectly into a short…

We were granted special access to preview Amy Sol's dreamy new works that will go on display at Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, California starting March 10, 2012. Called Numina, the major exhibition will feature ten new acrylic-on-wood panel paintings with Sol's signature soft colors and dreamy settings. "The characters in each piece are participants seeped…

While we're used to seeing Scott Belcastro's beautifully whimsical paintings, we were delighted to find out that he's turned a slightly darker corner with his new works. Opening February 24 at Iam8bit Gallery in Los Angeles is Brighter…