Rob Sullivan

Not one single shot lingers for more than 2 seconds. Sign of the times that we have tech that looks super-slick, but is worthless in its application.

“Sisyphea” is 22 x 30 in., oil on panel.

A 6 x 12 in. oil on panels diptych: “Auditae.” Playing with natural spiral forms.

"Ordinanda" is 20 x 24 inches, oil on cradled panel.
First time executing a grisaille with glazing at this scale. It was difficult, but I think I figured it out.

Thanks for that. I have appealed things here in the past. You're right, it took months for it to come down. I thought BlueSky would be easier for artists, but it's more of the same, sadly.

This is “Imminea” -oil on Arches primed paper, 12x12 in. Every summer I try to paint at least one ocean-themed work.
#oilpainting #ocean #waves

Fresh off the easel: “Amaryllis” is 18 x 24, oil on panel.
#oilpaint #oilpainting

Thank you! The nostalgia pull is strong. Of course, when I see this, I think of my son when he was very young. Painting it captured both his and my emotional ties to the object and the cherished time associated with it.

"Anima" is 24 x 30 in, oil on panel. When we are subsumed or overwhelmed, our rationale can fall into chaos. But it can also be a kind of baptism, a rebirth into some new phase of being.

#painting #oilpainting #philosophy #oceanwaves

"Invideo" is 24x18 inches, oil on panel. It's frightening to know we have given up our privacies and are constantly under the hot light of online scrutiny. I suppose it was our choice to build a conjoined reality in the digital world. Now we're stuck in it.
#painting #oilpainting #traditionalart

"Tenere" is oil on cradled panel, 16x12 inches. This is an early example of using transparent shapes in a more "interactive" way inside the picture plane. Also, it's my first serious use of Caput Mortuum in a work. It plays off the Phthalo Turquoise quite well.
#painting #oilpainting #traditionalart

Wonderful study. And kinda incomprehensible how this got flagged on IG 😑

It’s tricky. I needed to employ more color theory than I realized! You have to work quickly with the Galkyd - it sets up pretty fast. And choosing pigments is a variable re: how much medium you need to balance transparency & chroma. It’ll require more practice for me to have a solid opinion on it.

These two slides represent the result of color glazing transparent oils into a straight-up grisaille. I really haven’t done this before on an entire work, so this was a new & interesting experience. It’s also very small at 4x4 in. I’m calling it “Chiara” because, y’know, chiaroscuro.
#oilpainting

Thank you for the repost, Felicia! @feliciasart.bsky.social

I was planning to come up the coast to CBI and perhaps NL, but now I can't predict what's going to happen at the border, so I think I might have to scrap the plans. It's absolutely crazy. I'm sorry we have a toddler at the helm. Most Mainers I know (1st District) did our best to prevent it.

Note: First time posting through the new Flashes interface.

“Livens” is 20 x 30 inches, o/c. I’m pleased that this one sold to a Maine island dweller. It’s fitting to hang this in a place surrounded by the Atlantic.
#oilpainting #traditionalart #figureart

Thank you always, Alai! ☺️

Thank you, Meg! 😃

Happy to find your works posted here in full flight (as opposed to the censorship of other platforms). Cheers!

Simple still life (Minumentals series) - "Honeybear" - oil on linen mounted to panel, 6 x 6 inches. This was my middle son's childhood special bear.
#painting #oilpainting #cute #stuffedanimal #bear #smallworks #allaprima

Tonight is opening night at Arch Enemy Fine Arts in Philadelphia for the *2025 Spotlight Showcase!* "Cognitia" will be shown among 30 other excellent artists' works, and I am very proud to be part of this illustrious group!
@archenemyarts.bsky.social
www.archenemyarts.com/spotlightsho...

Fry grease, incontinence, and secret shame

"Eluvia" is an oil painting on panel, 22 x 30 inches. When we wash away the things from the past, they still may cling to us; and the thing that’s still in our heads may not be seen so obviously in the body.
#painting #oilpainting #figurepainting #traditionalpainting #realism #figureinwater

I’m grateful and happy you are pleased with the outcome! It’s an honor to create an homage to your fine work.

Cheers, Dan! And thank you once again!

Wonderful work. Good to find you here!

"Exorta" is 24 x 24 inches, oil on panel. Closeup shot shows a Pisces symbol on the necklace, which is self-referential. Figure reference inspired by the work of Dan Katz - @thatzkatz.bsky.social (thanks, Dan!)

#painting #oilpainting #traditionalpainting #figurativeart #clouds

"Tenebrae" is 40 x 30 inches, oil on canvas. I was thinking of both Da Vinci and Bronzino, but using a highly limited palette to suggest more color than what was applied to the surface. Another one from the Detached Muse suite.
#oilpainting #painting #art #realism #portraiture #traditionalart