Hyper Realistic Paintings of Vintage Board Games; Tape, Tears and All.

At first glance, these look like vintage board games one might find on ebay, complete with frayed corners and masking tape holding them together. But look a little closer and you'll see that they are the impressive photo realistic paintings of Missouri based artist Tim Liddy.




Using oil paints and enamel Tim recreates nostalgic Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley board games- some of which are no longer made and others that are still family favorites, on copper.

















Tim will take commissions as well. The prices for these works vary from $3,000 to $11,000 + depending upon size.

Tim Liddy

Recent Realism Paintings Of Fabricated American Landscapes By Alex Roulette.

above: Alex Roulette, Airborne, Oil on Panel, 26"x 37", 2010

I first noticed Alex Roulette's impressive realism with his 2008 painting, Summer (shown below), which caught my eye because I have a thing for pool paintings.


above: Summer, Oil on Panel, 36"x48", 2008

This past year, Alex had a solo exhibition called Fabricated Realism at the George Billis Gallery in New York in which the 2010 paintings in this post were shown. His work continues to have great aesthetic appeal and in 2010, Alex played more with unusual light sources and effects in his work. Sun flares, reflections, snowflakes and other natural and fabricated lighting replaces the strong shadows prevalent in his 2007-2008 work.

At Swim, Oil on Panel, 28"x 42", 2010:

At the Lake, Oil on Panel, 20"x 21", 2010

Badlands, Oil on Panel, 30"x 38", 2010:

Chopping Wood, Oil on Panel, 24"x 34", 2010:

Jump, Oil on Panel, 24"x 38", 2010:

Swing Set, Oil on Panel, 15"x 15", 2010:

Parking Lot, Oil on Panel, 20"x 21":

Windmill, Oil on Panel, 30"x 44", 2010:

Unknown Lights, Oil on Panel, 45"x 36", 2010:


The above paintings are represented by George Billis Gallery, New York

The artists statement about his recent work: "Fabricated Realism"

My current series of paintings depict fabricated American landscapes. The invented landscapes arise from archetypal citations of past and present cultural influences. Placing figures into these landscapes is an attempt to take advantage of the viewer’s natural ability to extrapolate narratives. By creating the paintings using a conjuncture of various photographic references, I continue to explore the distinctions between photographic and painted space. The disjointed nature of the source images, contrasting with the way they are realistically unified, take on a contingent sense of reality.

Inventing landscapes allow memories of places and events to be fictionalized. Coalescing unrelated photographs is done in a way comparable to the process in which the mind synthesizes images when recollecting memories or imagining new images. As opposed to culling images from an abstract memory bank, I utilized tangible sources, many of which come from the vast image resources our contemporary culture offers. The current expanding abundance of accessible images is allowing the imagination to expand the ability to visualize unseen places.


gallery@georgebillis.com

Born in 1986, in Columbus, Ohio, Alex Roulette now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. To see his fabulous work from 2009 and before, visit his website

Hyper Realistic Paintings Of Retro Barbies By Judy Ragagli

Artist Judy Ragagli paints original paintings of nostalgic Barbie dolls, from the retro years of 1959 to 1970. Whether it's Barbie in Bora Bora or Hollywood, on Prom Night or dressed for an Enchanted Evening, the paintings at first glance appear as photographs and upon closer inspection are incredible detailed oil paintings. Ragagli captures the smooth perfect plastic skin and uses colored backgrounds, clothing and/or venues- that compliment the clean and bright world of Barbie.



According to Judy, "I see nostalgic Barbie as possessing a soul and positive spirit; her true persona extends beyond the plastic facade."



Judy's goal, she explains, is to pay homage to this surviving icon of modernity, femininity and style. "I want my viewers to recognize Barbie as an important and positive influence within American society on both the individual and aggregate levels," she notes. By presenting nostalgic Barbie through portraiture in oil on canvas, Judy's aim is to create a vision of Barbie that is still and noble. I strive to elicit veneration for Barbie's legacy while painting a mark of beauty and grace into the world."

The paintings:













You may not be able to afford her original oil paintings which run approximately $3,900.00 but she offers fine art prints of her paintings starting at an affordable $150. USD.



This Limited Edition giclee on canvas, shown above, features a 1964 Barbie originally painted on canvas in oil by Judy Ragagli. "Platinum Swirl" is released in a limited edition of 50. The size is 20" x 16," inches, varnished with a UV protective coating and stretched on 1 1/2" stretcher bars.

Ms. Ragagli's paintings can also be viewed in the newly released hard-cover book titled EdgyCute: From Neo-Pop to Low Brow and Back Again by Harry Saylor.

Visit her website here