BI L L BRAU N Trompe l’oeil paintings
Bi g S u n f l ower, a c r y l i c o n ca nva s , 1 8 ”x1 8 ” $ 2 , 4 0 0 . 0 0
BILL BRAUN Trompe l’oeil paintings ACRYLIC ON CANVAS AUGUST 7 - 31, 2014 Bil l Braun’s pa i nti ng s a re i mpressive feat s of hy perrealism. At first glan ce w h at ap p e ars to be the i ng redi ent s for a child’s art project of crumpled craft p a p er, ma s k i ng ta pe, sta pl es a nd cut out const ruct ion paper, in realit y is a t i ght a n d p rec i s e im pl em entati on of a c r y lic paint on canvas. The end result is a bril l i ant exe c u t ion of trom pe l ’oei l paint ing.
Tro m p e l ’oei l ( Frenc h for “ to deceive t he eye”), is a t y pe of paint ing by w h i c h var i ous tec hni ques persu ade t he v iewer t hat he or she is looki ng at t h re e- d i m ensi ona l obj ec ts, rather t han object s or scenes t hat are act ually p a i nted o n a two- di m ensi ona l pl a n e. Braun’s work is an unusual example of tro mp e l’o e i l . Hi s stra i g htfor wa rd landscapes or st ill lives take on a play ful q u al i ty i n p a r t d ue to the br i l l i a nt col or palette, but also from his childlike compo s i ti on s an d s u bj ec ts. Fo r over 25 yea rs, B i l l B ra un has honed his technique of dist inct ive tro mp e l’o e i l pa i nti ng a nd ha s enj oyed ex t raordinar y success not only in t he No r t hwe st , but a l so i n a r t envi ron ment s all over t he world.
OPENING RECEPTION THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014, 6PM-8PM
PATRICIA RO V Z A R G A LLE RY 1225 Second Ave, Seattle WA 98101 www.rovzargallery.com
Bees & Butterflies, acr ylic on canvas, 16”x20”, $2,400.00
Full Moon, acr ylic on canvas, 24”x42”, $4,500.00
Octopus Vase, acr ylic on canvas, 24”x24”, $3,400.00
Lazy Bear, acr ylic on canvas, 35.5”x36”, $5,300.00
Midnight Snack, acr ylic on canvas, 24”x20”, $3,100.00
Dandelion, acr ylic on canvas, 18”x18”, $2,400.00
My Backyard, acr ylic on canvas, 24”x27”, $3,500.00
Spi der S o n g, a c r y l i c o n ca nva s, 2 2 ”x3 4 ” $ 3 , 8 0 0 . 0 0
Two Bucks, acr ylic on canvas, 25”x24”, $3,400.00
Ear l y S n ow, a c r y l i c on ca nva s, 2 4 ”x3 3 ” $ 3 , 9 0 0 . 0 0
Spotted Owl, acr ylic on canvas, 20”x16”, $2,400.00
Tall Sunflower, acr ylic on canvas, 24”x15”, $2,600.00
Visitors, acr ylic on canvas, 24”x34”, $4,100.00
Moose Lake, acr ylic on canvas, 30”x36”, $4,500.00
Wild Flowes, acr ylic on canvas, 20”x16”, $2,400.00
Wild Flowerpot, acr ylic on canvas, 18”x18”, $2,400.00
Moose Family, acr ylic on canvas, 23.5”x34.5”, $4,100.00
BILL BRAUN Not an Artist Statement I don’t like to give an artist statement because it undoes the premise of my work, trompe l’oeil painting. Literally from the French, trompe l’oeil means “trick the eye”. An artist’s statement might undo the fundamental aim of convincing the viewer, at least for a moment, that what he sees are actual objects and not a painting. The basic rules of trompe l’oeil painting are that objects are rendered in real scale, and totally within a shallow painted space. This type of painting has always been a minor branch of realist painting, but with a very long history. The Athenian painters Xeuxis and Parrhasios in 5th century B.C. (as told by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History) and Roman murals of the 2nd century A.D., 16th century Dutch vanitas painting and the 19th centuryPhiladelphia School painters, Harnett, Peto and Haberle, are examples. Today there are still trompe l’oeil painters around; I am happy to be one of them. .