Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

James Torlakson
Backyard Bench - original watercolor 1974-2016

1974-2016

About the Item

Backyard Bench - an iconic American watercolor painting by James Torlakson who is known for his photorealist oil paintings, watercolors and aquatint intaglio etchings. Torlakson’s photorealism subject matter and imagery have centered on “every day” America including trucks, railways, amusement parks, waterfronts, fireworks booths, deserted drive-in theaters and coastal landscapes. His oil paintings, watercolors, aquatint etchings and drawings have been exhibited nationally since 1971 within United States and Internationally, with works housed in the permanent collections of many American Museums, including San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Oakland Museum of California, Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design Museum; New York Public Library’s print collection, Art Institute of Chicago, Library of Congress, Denver Art Museum and the De Cordova Museum. Backyard Bench - watercolor is 16 x 11 inches. Artist signed, titled and dated. Condition is excellent.
More From This SellerView All
  • Phantom Fireworks - original watercolor painting
    Located in Burlingame, CA
    Phantom Fireworks - an iconic American painting by James Torlakson who is known for his photorealist oil paintings, watercolors and aquatint intaglio etchings. Torlakson’s photoreal...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Drawings and W...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Archival Paper

  • Car Wash - original unique watercolor
    Located in Burlingame, CA
    Car Wash - an iconic American watercolor painting by James Torlakson, who is known for his photorealist oil paintings, watercolors and aquatint intagli...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Drawings and W...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Archival Paper

  • Mobile Home with Honda - original watercolor, 1974
    Located in Burlingame, CA
    Mobile Home with Honda - watercolor is 9 3/4 x 21 1/4 inches. Artist signed, titled and dated. Condition is excellent. James Torlakson, an international...
    Category

    20th Century American Realist Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Archival Paper

  • Postman - original watercolor
    Located in Burlingame, CA
    Iconic Postman original watercolor painting is 11 1/2 x 7 inches / professionally framed at approximately 19 1/2 x 15 inches. Artist signed, titl...
    Category

    20th Century American Realist Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Archival Paper

  • Palmistry Readings / watercolor
    Located in Burlingame, CA
    'Palmistry Readings' a highly collectable original watercolor 17 3/4 x 21 1/2 inch painting by Internationally acclaimed American Realist James Torlakson. Currently unframed however ...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Drawings and W...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Archival Paper

  • Seaward
    Located in Burlingame, CA
    'Seaward', depicting a cargo ship exiting Golden Gate, passing Seal Rock, and entering the Pacific.Ocean, is a highly collectable original 10 x 16 inch watercolor painting by Interna...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Drawings and W...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Archival Paper

You May Also Like
  • Daisies, grey realist graphite on paper floral drawing, 2020
    By Mary Reilly
    Located in New York, NY
    Mary Reilly explores the full tonal depth of graphite in her nature drawings and landscapes. She finds all of the soft subtleties of gray as she shifts seamlessly from branch to pebb...
    Category

    2010s American Realist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Graphite

  • Rainbow Shell - Watercolor of a Tiny Rainbow Colored Shell on a Blue Background
    By Christina Haglid
    Located in Chicago, IL
    "Rainbow", by Christina Haglid, is a meticulously detailed watercolor of a tiny sea shell painted on a blue starry background. The paper had a deckled edge and matted with a heavy w...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Drawings and Waterc...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper

  • Double Blind, Still Life with Sun Kissed Paper Lanterns & Blooming Flower
    By Christina Haglid
    Located in Chicago, IL
    A single bloom is captured inside a paper lantern atop a table in Christina Haglid's "Double Blind". This small, exquisite watercolor is awash in sunlight streaming in through parti...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Drawings and Waterc...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper

  • Steam - Nasturtium Flower Encased in a Paper Lantern on Wayward Seas, Watercolor
    By Christina Haglid
    Located in Chicago, IL
    "Steam", by Christina Haglid, is a small, exquisite watercolor. A single nasturtium is suspended inside a paper lantern, floating on turbulent water, the steam escaping from the lantern propelling it forward. The fragility of the environment has always played an important role in Haglid's work. As a child growing up on the East Coast, the ever changing seaside landscapes intrigued her. This fragile balance between nature and her subject matter is as delicate as a paper lantern floating on the ocean. Christina Haglid Steam, 2019 watercolor and gouache on paper 8h x 9w in 20.32h x 22.86w cm CMH034 Artist's Statement Tiny Sanctuaries There has always been an intersection between the process of writing and the act of painting in my work. It has somehow been my guide. In the last four years, during the making of this work, that connection intensified as I started writing short stories and flash fiction while taking online classes. I find the process of writing and painting so different in almost every way, but there is something freeing and generative in writing which helps my painting process. Or perhaps it's a reminder of what painting is for me - something intuitive that needs to be trusted. And what they do have in common is a desire to encapsulate and distill a single moment, a story, about the complexity of our emotions and experiences. At the heart of my work is the recurring depiction of perseverance, strength of will, and a subtle optimism. Symbolically through the objects, precarious situations depict a moment of possible difficulty, often involving the influence of nature. A paper crane left in the snow. A boat nearly filled to the brim, but not submerged and able to drain its own contents carefully. A slide alone at night which will return to its purpose during the day. My intention is to not show the failure because I imagine all these objects make it through to better times. Allegories of survival. Someone comes by and finds the paper crane, the rowboat owners return and see their boat undisturbed, and the slide during the day brings joy. EDUCATION 1993 M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art 1991 B.F.A., Maryland Institute, College of Art 1990 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture EXHIBITIONS 2019 "Tiny Sanctuaries", Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2015 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2014 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2013 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2012 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2011 “Gallery Group” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL "Meticulous Details: Conservators' Paintings" The Architrouve, Chicago, IL 2010 “Art Chicago” Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2009 “Botanica” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 “Botanicus” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 “Arts Botanica” Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, IL 2005 “Blumen: Group Show” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2004-05 “Think Small” Illinois State Museum, IL [traveled] “Christina Haglid: Microworlds” Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC [solo exhibition] 2004 “Art Chicago” Navy Pier, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003 “Small to Mighty” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2002 “Art of the 20th Century” NY Armory, Ann Nathan Gallery, NY, NY “Art Chicago” Navy Pier, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2001 “Group Fusion” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2000 "Small & Mighty II" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL "Christina Haglid, New Work and Amy Lowry-Poole, Bugs and Buds" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1999 “Small & Mighty” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL “Views II” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1998 “Maleri” Galleri Carl Michael Bellman, Stockholm, Sweden “1987 – 1997, A Skowhegan Decade, Alumni Exhibition and Benefit Auction” David Beitzel Gallery, NY, NY “On and Off the Wall, Gallery Group” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1997 “15 x 15” (Alumni Exhibition), Thesis Gallery, Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore, MD 1996 “Small Works” Suburban Fine Arts Center, Highland Park, IL., Special Recognition Award 1994 “Unknown Chicago” Gallery 312, Chicago, IL “15 x 15” (Alumni Exhibition), Meyerhoff Gallery, Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore, MD 1993 “Graduate Summer Exhibition” Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI “Graduate Thesis Exhibition” Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI “Michigan Fine Arts Competition” Birmingham Bloomfield Art Association, Birmingham, MI 1992 “Word of Mouth” Forum Gallery, Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI 1991 “Drawing: A Covert and Private Affair” West Gallery, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ “Senior Exhibition” Meyerhoff Gallery, Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore, MD 1990 “Fiber Exhibition” Fox Gallery...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Drawings and Waterc...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper

  • Canopy, Trees Emerging from a Vase, Botanical Watercolor & Gouache on Paper
    By Christina Haglid
    Located in Chicago, IL
    Tree roots emerge from a vase to create a forest of trees in Christina Haglid's "Canopy". The artist invites the viewer to take a closer look at nature, to question what is seen and to enter into a newly created world. Meticulous in her execution, Haglid uses watercolor as one might use a colored pencil. Layer upon layer of color is added to achieve this impressively detailed painting. Christina Haglid Canopy watercolor and gouache on paper 11h x 8w in 27.94h x 20.32w cm CMH033 Artist's Statement Tiny Sanctuaries There has always been an intersection between the process of writing and the act of painting in my work. It has somehow been my guide. In the last four years, during the making of this work, that connection intensified as I started writing short stories and flash fiction while taking online classes. I find the process of writing and painting so different in almost every way, but there is something freeing and generative in writing which helps my painting process. Or perhaps it's a reminder of what painting is for me - something intuitive that needs to be trusted. And what they do have in common is a desire to encapsulate and distill a single moment, a story, about the complexity of our emotions and experiences. At the heart of my work is the recurring depiction of perseverance, strength of will, and a subtle optimism. Symbolically through the objects, precarious situations depict a moment of possible difficulty, often involving the influence of nature. A paper crane left in the snow. A boat nearly filled to the brim, but not submerged and able to drain its own contents carefully. A slide alone at...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Drawings and Waterc...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper

  • Janus, Botanical Watercolor & Gouache on Paper, 2 Bud Vases with Purple Flowers
    By Christina Haglid
    Located in Chicago, IL
    Two bud vases seemingly defy gravity as they teeter upon a watery surface in Christina Haglid's "Janus". This meticulously detailed watercolor invites the viewer to take a closer look at nature, to question what is seen and to enter into a newly created world. Intricate in her execution, Haglid uses watercolor as one might use a colored pencil. Layer upon layer of color is added to achieve this impressively detailed painting. Christina Haglid Janus watercolor and gouache on paper 11h x 8w in 27.94h x 20.32w cm CMH031 Artist's Statement Tiny Sanctuaries There has always been an intersection between the process of writing and the act of painting in my work. It has somehow been my guide. In the last four years, during the making of this work, that connection intensified as I started writing short stories and flash fiction while taking online classes. I find the process of writing and painting so different in almost every way, but there is something freeing and generative in writing which helps my painting process. Or perhaps it's a reminder of what painting is for me - something intuitive that needs to be trusted. And what they do have in common is a desire to encapsulate and distill a single moment, a story, about the complexity of our emotions and experiences. At the heart of my work is the recurring depiction of perseverance, strength of will, and a subtle optimism. Symbolically through the objects, precarious situations depict a moment of possible difficulty, often involving the influence of nature. A paper crane left in the snow. A boat nearly filled to the brim, but not submerged and able to drain its own contents carefully. A slide alone at night...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Drawings and Waterc...

    Materials

    Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper

Recently Viewed

View All