Art of Jason Rafferty

Fine Art by Jason Rafferty, based in Asheville, NC, US. Drawings & Oil Paintings of Landscape, Portraiture, Figures, and more. www.jasonrafferty.com NewsletterAbout MePortfolioFacebook

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Detail of “Conflict of Generations”, oil on panel, 2018. It’s wildfire season and my thoughts go out to everyone in #CA and elsewhere having to flee their homes. This is an allegorical piece about our intergenerational friction as we all cope with a warming world. #art #artcurator #narrativeart #artdaily #instaart #figurativeart #mythology #myth #mythicart #fire #wildfire #climatechangeart #climate #climatechange #narrative #californiafires #politics #artgallery #oilpainting #figurativepainting #contemporarypainting #realism #imagination https://www.instagram.com/p/B4V7bCwhk8H/?igshid=7seabgyiicjt

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Little oil sketch from today of me and @sallycgarner last winter. Having fun experimenting with some quick, small pieces at the moment in between bigger projects. It’s easier to take risks with these small-format, postcard size pieces. I’m using the palette knife more in conjunction with brushes - mostly flats. #keepatit #fineart #contemporaryart #oilpainting #texture #paletteknife #art #arte #instaart #artdaily #artoftheday #winter #snow #cold #ashevillenc #avlart #artcurator #artgallery #artist #paint #ncart #wncart #northcarolina #ncartist https://www.instagram.com/p/B3QXoS_htG4/?igshid=ifu51artcp45

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Félix Vallotton, 1922, oil. at the museum of fine arts in Geneva. Really love this piece and other landscapes of his they have in this great museum. . #arthistory #painting #oilpainting #inspiration #modernart #felixvallotton #landscape #paysage #contemporarylandscape #colors #movement https://www.instagram.com/p/B2mXExEBCUg/?igshid=c027z9v0bqny

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Detail of “The Furies II: Hurricane Maria”, oil on panel, 2018. Part of my series “Mythic Images”. . . #fineart #figurativeart #realism #arte #artdaily #mythology #climatechange #naturaldisaster #storm #contemporaryrealism #contemporaryart #ballet #dancer #movement #oilpainting #painting #artcurator #artgallery #artwork #narrativeart #dance #expressive #ashevilleart #ncartist #ncart #northcarolinaart https://www.instagram.com/p/B2mWPsdBc8A/?igshid=199zdjx5vx6zx

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“The Death or Castor”, oil on panel, part of my most recent series, “Mythic Images”. . . #oilpainting #painting #figurativeart #realism #narrativepainting #mythology #mythologypainting #realistart #figurepainting #art #arte #artdaily #instaart #artfeature #artgallery #artexhibit #bfa #ashevilleart #avlart #ashevillemade #wncart #ncart #ncartist https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hwoKLB7dx/?igshid=1szofee51qtsd

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Detail of “Aurora”, oil on panel, 2017. Part of my most recent series, “Mythic Images”. . . #figurativeart #narrativeart #realism #realist #contemporaryclassical #wnc #ashevilleart #wncart #avlart #neovictorian #landscapeart #figureinlandscape #artgallery #arte #contemporaryart #artexhibition #ashevillemade #fineart https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hv7lohU9F/?igshid=1u2prefyx4pdq

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Detail of “Nemesis”, oil on panel, 2017. Part of my most recent series titled “Mythic Images”. . . #oilpainting #painting #art #arte #mythology #figurativeart #realism #realistart #artfiguratif #mythologie #skull #death #fall #autumn #jungian #depthpsychology #darkness #red #gothic #gothart #victorian #ashevilleart #artgallery #artexhibit #artcollector #avlart #narrativeart https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hvUPfBqrO/?igshid=1ptx8ci95b637

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Textures and shapes that are striking me as I intuitively gather material for a new body of paintings. I’ve always loved old, european doors and architecture. Taking them out of their surroundings and context and applying some image filtration lets the creative mind loose. The composition becomes more about line, movement and (eventual) paint surface texture. This is an image of an interior in Lyon, France taken today, with photo editing in @googlesnapseed. While the filtering may seem melodramatic and overwrought, I’ve lately enjoyed taking an image to some extremes and then seeing what painting might come from using that as a base reference, and then freely interpreting the image in oils. . . #brainstorm #photo #geometricabstraction #photography #painting #notebook #ideas #lyonart #franceart #arte #geometry #abstractart #instaart #artdaily #ashevilleart #avlart #inspiration #brainstorming #interior #rococco #sketch https://www.instagram.com/p/B2fak4CBBkk/?igshid=1k2zvs6oreypn

[jasonrafferty-blog]

Textures and shapes that are striking me as I intuitively gather material for a new body of paintings. I’ve always loved old, european doors and architecture. Taking them out of their surroundings and context and applying some image filtration lets the creative mind loose. The composition becomes more about line, movement and (eventual) paint surface texture. This is a detail of an interior in Lyon, France taken today with minor image editing in @googlesnapseed . . #brainstorm #photo #photography #painting #notebook #ideas #lyonart #franceart #lyon #arte #geometry #abstractart #eglise #vienneeglise #instaart #artdaily #ashevilleart #avlart #inspiration #brainstorming #interior #europe #euroart #franceart #shapes #formes https://www.instagram.com/p/B2fZes1BVs6/?igshid=8oc40kre9xol

[jasonrafferty-blog]

Textures and shapes that are striking me as I intuitively gather material for a new body of paintings. I’ve always loved old, european doors and architecture. Taking them out of their surroundings and context and applying some image filtration lets the creative mind loose. The composition becomes more about line, movement and (eventual) paint surface texture. This is a church door from Vienne, France taken today. . . #brainstorm #photo #geometricabstraction #photography #painting #notebook #ideas #lyonart #franceart #viennefr #vienne #arte #geometry #abstractart #eglise #vienneeglise #instaart #artdaily #ashevilleart #avlart #inspiration #brainstorming https://www.instagram.com/p/B2fZLxhhVDa/?igshid=1i2end5vx97oh

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Juxtaposition: Hans Hartung, Untitled, 1947-8, and an ancient stone tablet from Carthage, 3rd - 1st c. BCE. One of the most interesting parts of modernist art is the constant parallels one can find with forms from ancient visual arts. Both images from @mba_lyon which I visited today. . . #fineart #art #artmuseum #modernart #contemporaryart #arthistory #ancientart #artdaily #artoftheday #arte #abstract #abstractart #artabstrait #lyonart #artlyon #finearts #history #comparisons #inspiration #nonobjectiveart #spiritualart https://www.instagram.com/p/B2XGhRPhX7j/?igshid=jup609b2lvbt

[jasonrafferty-blog]

It blows me away how much texture and lushness of paint there is in Fanrin-Latour’s flowers. Seeing these things close up in person makes him seem almost like a precursor to gestural abstraction. . . #arthistory @mba_lyon #painting #faintinlatour #paint #oilpainting #artmuseum #artdaily #inspiration #color #flowers #floral #flowerpainting #floralpainting #floraldesign #artlyon #lyonart #artgallery https://www.instagram.com/p/B2W4Yj4hdsE/?igshid=1xpqdu5twbqnn

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Little sketch after Rodin at @mba_lyon today. . . #fineart #figuredrawing #drawing #dessin #design #art #arte #artfiguratif #pencildrawing #lyonart #franceart #contemporaryart #artcontemporain #artdaily #artmuseum #sketchbook #mastercopy #rodin #sculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/B2W3Lr-hbFs/?igshid=gws626p1zc9j

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Detail of a recent commission completed for @missionhealthnc, “Hands of Care and Compassion”, (no. 1) oil on canvas. Excited to see my three paintings hung in the new north tower building when it opens! . . #oilpainting #hospitalart #fineart #realism #figurepainting #figurativeart #painting #contemporaryart #fleshtones #artoftheday #contemporaryrealism #colors #avlart #ashevilleart #artdaily #artoftheday #wncart #ncart #artcommission #northcarolina #nchealth https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Rj5V1hpG3/?igshid=h8qsdph7t44w

[jasonrafferty-blog]

Detail of a recent commission completed for @missionhealthnc, “Hands of Care and Compassion”, (no.2) oil on canvas. Excited to see my three paintings hung in the new north tower building when it opens! . . #oilpainting #hospitalart #fineart #realism #figurepainting #figurativeart #painting #contemporaryart #fleshtones #artoftheday #contemporaryrealism #colors #avlart #ashevilleart #artdaily #artoftheday #wncart #ncart #artcommission #northcarolina #nchealth https://www.instagram.com/p/B2RjtBZhyC2/?igshid=1laukqji4kdbg

[jasonrafferty-blog]

Detail of a recent commission completed for @missionhealthnc, “Hands of Care and Compassion”, oil on canvas. Excited to see my three paintings hung in the new north tower building when it opens! . . #oilpainting #hospitalart #fineart #realism #figurepainting #figurativeart #painting #contemporaryart #fleshtones #artoftheday #contemporaryrealism #colors #avlart #ashevilleart #artdaily #artoftheday #wncart #ncart #artcommission #northcarolina #nchealth https://www.instagram.com/p/B2MereGB9vB/?igshid=1ho0p1ad1gvr7

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#throwbackthursday to this painting from 2012, “For Sally”, painted for my fiancé @sallycgarner. I have always loved this piece. It was one of my earliest oil paintings, done in my first year of serious study of the medium after a few years of focus on drawing and painting in acrylics. It was the first large painting I ever did at 30 x 40”. At the time I simply intended to make a gift piece for Sally using her favorite colors, based on a ‘collage’ sort of style influenced by my digital graphic design background as a teenager mixed with my growing interest in classical portrait painting. But as I’ve become more aware of modern art history I’ve been able to pick out more nuanced elements. The blend of hard-edge abstraction, hand-painted imitation of ‘collage’ aesthetic (à la early Cubism), and realist portraiture is a mix I’m interested in revisiting and exploring more. After I did this painting I set aside this sort of style and went on to study more traditional landscape and figurative painting. Now I’d like to integrate those elements with this sort of ‘experimental’ style from my earlier years going into my next series. I’ve always seen artistic evolution as a sort of spiral motion. You orbit around a central axis doing radically different tangents, but eventually revisit your prior perspectives you thought you’d abandoned; but you arrive at them from a more informed place. . . #oilpainting #fineart #realism #contemporaryart #abstractart #painting #art #arte #experiment #tbt #artoftheday #artdaily #artgallery #paintanyway #inspiration #keepworking #keeppainting #artexhibit #artgift #ashevilleart #avlart #wncart #ncart #northcarolinaart #northcarolina #portrait #portraitpainting https://www.instagram.com/p/B1fVs0Th68E/?igshid=1qlj1k4z7t7fp