Welcome to the gallery of current oil paintings for sale
Wanda
- 36 x 64"
- oil on canvas
This was actually the first oil painting portrait I produced as a graduate student. Here I’ve chosen a canvas size and composition that gives the painting a cinematic quality. Shadow and light balance each other in both the positive and negative spaces in the work. The understated complexity of the composition mirrors the emotional state of the subject. By peering out of the picture plain she refuses to interact with the viewer, but at the same time the intimate scale of the composition forces that relationship.
Mel's But
- 24 x12"
- oil on canvas
My painting style is very time intensive requiring a lot of concentration and devotion to the work at hand. It can get a bit much at times so I did this oil painting nude study to relax. Sometimes you need to reset your perspective by doing a quick studies such as this. Here I can just paint without worrying about how the next brushstroke will effect the overall composition and hours of time already invested. These works are quick and usually finished in an afternoon.
Girl with Orchid Tattoo
- 48 x 36"
- oil on canvas
I always wanted to do a figure painting of a woman with a tattoo. I love tattoos even though I don’t have any. After a few drinks with my fellow graduate students one of the painters piped up that she had an awesome tattoo. After several more drinks she stated she would be willing to pose nude for me. Later when I saw the tattoo I had to agree with her, it is an awesome tattoo. She did not tell me the name of the artist or I would credit his/her work.
When my graduate adviser viewed the work she did not like the oil painting nude tattoo work. She said the work looks to much like a posed study. I think the reason she said that is because I did not know my model as well. Most of the people I asked to model for me I had gotten to know. It also might be that I was focused on the tattoo and not on the model herself.
Later on I was doing some research about flowers and came across the meaning of orchids. The orchid represents love, luxury, beauty and strength. In ancient Greece, orchids were associated with virility. – Orchid Meaning Now that I know the meaning of the flower, perhaps I should find the young lady for another painting. Creating a piece that incorporates the meaning of the flowers into the work
Luminaries of Fire
- 40 x40"
- oil on canvas
This painting of a oil painting nude in the moonlightwas one of my early experimentations with different types and qualities of light. The subject here is revealed to us by moonlight. The hours of long exposure photographic references I used for reference ended up being nearly useless. Our mind’s eye is very unlike photographic evidence therefore I had to rely greatly on the perception of my memory. The title of the work was taken from Zohar and the mythology of Lilith after God separated the Sun and the Moon. The Sun above was the Male and ruler of the Day. The Moon below was the Female and ruler of the Night. Therefore there arose two kind of Luminaries. Those descending from above were called Luminaries of Light and those ascending from below were called Luminaries of Fire. Considering the female subject bathed in moonlight I thought the reference was an appropriate one.
Olympic Pen
- 20 x 16"
- oil on canvas
The rugged landscape of the Olympic Peninsula has long been one of my favorite subjects for my oil paintings. In the woods where I found this tree, everything thing around me was green and alive. There was a feeling of motion all around you even as you stood in place. The odd stance the tree has taken seems to illustrate that sense of movement even in the stillness of the deep woods. In this work I've used the qualities of oil painting to capture the depth of light & Shadow to bring this landscape to life.
Boe
- 36 x 24"
- oil on canvas
This oil painting of a cat is in tribute to a stray. As the story goes Boe was one hell of a cat. There were conflicting reports as to his age, some said he was 19 other people told us he was 30. No matter what his age, he was a scrapper.
The one thing everyone did agree on was that Boe lived in the house when his owner discovered he had brain cancer and died very soon after. The wife not wanting to stay in the house, sold it and moved 40 miles away taking the cats with her. In all the turmoil no one explained to the cat what was going on. So as soon as he could, he got out of the new house and proceeded to walk back to HIS house.
The neighbors were taking care of him. When we moved in he decided we were his new people and proceeded to move in with us.
I find cats to have an innate sense of mystery and drama that make them perfect models. He loved to pose for me so he became a perfect subject for an oil painting of a cat. He peers intently out of the picture plain as well as any human model. He tended to both judge and dismiss you at the same time. Though he’d spent most of his life as an outdoor cat he gives off an air of a feline of superior breeding.
Boe (Study)
- 16 x 24"
- oil on canvas
This oil painting study tabby cat was on of the first things I painted after coming back to the mid-west after New Mexico. We had rented a house in a small town and after we moved in this old guy showed up on our doorstep. The neighbors told us a story of how the houses’ original owner had passed away suddenly and the wife sold everything grabbed the cat and moved away. Unfortunately, no one explained to the cat what was going on. So the first chance he got he walked the 30 miles back to the house. The rest of the neighborhood looked after him. He stayed with us for 3 years until he finally passed in 2009.
My rescue cat Boe was a natural model. Here he takes a well deserved break from modeling for me, but as you can see he was always on task. He always seemed to pick the best light and locations for a composition. I managed to grab this quick study as he took a break from his hectic schedule. Because this piece is much smaller than I usually work, this quick oil painting study tabby cat like this, helps me unwind and change my perspective on things. Boe was one of the best relaxation Gurus I’ve ever known.
Brick in the Sun
- 48 x 36"
- oil on canvas
This oil painting tabby, Brick was done while we lived in Southern Illinois. My husband and I had both graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and we decided to move back to the area. Unfortunately the area had changed, and not for the better. We did meet some great people though and one of them was Brick’s owner.
I’ve tried to reflect a bit of the playfulness of this composition in the title of the work. The cat’s name is Brick and belonged to one of my human models, Mel. She also modeled for me and you can see her painting here. As we finished one of our work sessions, not one to be left out, Brick decided to model for me. As he batted at shadows on the wall, he would look over his shoulder at me to see if I was paying attention to him. Brick was a stocky cat and Mel said she named him brick for his square body. As with most cats I had to snap a photo of him to create this oil painting cat.
Scroll
- 24 x 36"
- oil on canvas
I created this oil painting of a cello after seeing Susan's cello in the corner of a room. I loved the look of the instrument. There was so many chips out of the base of the cello but it is this scroll that begged me to touch it. I just wanted to run my hand around the curve of the neck. After I found out the history of the piece I had to capture this cello in oil to share. I will let Susan tell you about her cello......"I always thought I would like to learn to play the violin, until the love-of-my-life informed me that, not only was his ex-girlfriend's name also Susan, but that she played the violin! So I switched my sights on learning the cello. It just so happened that one came into my hands when, being the highest bidder on an old piano at an auction, they threw in this cello! It was missing a bridge, had no strings and no bow, and was pretty beat up...but I loved it! Have I learned to play? Not really. But I love the big bass sounds that ooze from its strings and, when no one is around to hear me, I can actually put notes together that resemble a song. And it's lovely." - Susan Tingley
Rickenbacker
- 48 x 36"
- oil on board
So my husband had a twelve string hollow body Rickenbacker guitar. I say had, because not long after painting this image he sold the guitar to a guy who plays in a Tom Petty tribute band. If you know guitars you know this guitar needs to be in a Tom Petty tribute band. If you don't know guitars trust me watching his face as he played it, this guitar is well loved.
Now my husband sold the guitar because it is not his favorite. and if you look closely you can see that the guitar is actually missing two strings. My husband was furious with me that I would paint a painting like that. as he put it..."your an artist, just paint in the missing strings..." which seems kinda wrong to me. I mean it is a portrait. I paint the uniqueness of the individual. Beautiful warts and all.
S55
- 20 x 16"
- oil on canvas
I was at an art fair in Chicago and a gentleman walked into the booth and started to ask me about this oil painting of the microphone. It is titled S55. He starts telling me about how this is the most famous model the company ever made. When you see any old photo of the presidents giving speeches these are the microphones that were used. He then told me he worked for The Sure company and I should probably prepare for a visit from the legal department with a cease and desist.
I smiled. I then pointed him to the painting and we talked about the dent on one side of the mike during a bar altercation. and then there was the missing wind screen. Then we talked about who sold it to my husband and who had it before that. For him it was the history of the company. For me it is the history of the individual microphone.
Lester
- 20 x 16"
- oil on canvas
I felt that the only way to capture the spirit of an iconic Guitar like this was through the art of Oil Painting. The subtleties of varnish and patina, shadow and light, are what makes this painting, technically, a portrait. While you may recognize the iconic shape and finish, this painting tells the story of this particular guitar just like the portrait of a person. Every chip, crack, or wear mark is another piece of it's history. Even the title of the painting hints at a story of how the
guitar got it's name.