Barney Levitt
21 Boulder Hill Lane, Ashland, MA
www.barneylevitt.com on Instagram
Barney Levitt's oil paintings blend meticulous, naturalistic detail with playful, narrative-driven storytelling. His work puts a spin on traditional realism with his often wry and humorous take on life. It can be as varied as a platter of oysters reflected in a martini shaker, to a flock of chickens riding a roller coaster. There is always a level of detail that keeps his viewers mesmerized. No subject matter is safe when filtered through the prism of Levitt's zany imagination.
While earning his Fine Arts Degree in painting, he was wowed by the work of the Dutch and Flemish Masters. Vermeer is one of his favorites, and he has continued to emulate the fine detail and rich color of the Masters.
He comes from a long line of story tellers so being an avid reader as well as a published author, Levitt is always thinking of the story behind his paintings. His work has been shown over the years in dozens of galleries and has been accepted into such prestigious shows as Oil Painters of America, The International Guild of Realism, The Salmagundi Club, and The National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society. He has received many awards including the 'Realism Excellence Award' from the Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine.
Levitt is always on the prowl for new ideas and keeps a running list of word play and phrases; or images that may catch his attention. Titles are important to him and they often give the viewer more insight into his (often) wacky creations.
He views art on-line from various sources to help spur his imagination. He utilizes a lot of his own photographs as reference sources but also may incorporate imagery he sees on-line. He begins his paintings with a loosely applied monochromatic underpainting of burnt sienna, and then slowly builds his paintings layer by layer.
He is thrilled to share his work with the world and hopes he can evoke a laugh, a gasp of surprise, or a sense of wonder.
Born near the Adirondacks in upstate New York, Barney Levitt has been drawing and painting ever since he could grip a crayon and scribble on his parents' living room walls. His Aunt, also a painter, gave him his first easel and oil paint set when he was 12 years old. He attended art classes at an early age and graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from SUNY Oswego. He has been a member of many prestigious art organizations including Oil Painters of America, The International Guild of Realism, and The National Oil and Acrylic Painter's Society. He became a member of The Copley Society of Art in 2004 and earned his Copley Master status in 2017. His work has been shown in American Art Collector Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, and is in many private collections nationally and internationally.
