Take a close look at the images in this article… do you see it?
When I first saw Doug Bloodworth’s artwork, I did a double take. Doug’s art looks like it involves photographing ordinary objects in an interesting way, but there is much more to it than that!
Doug Bloodworth
These are actually paintings and they are so realistic, I really thought I was looking at photography, but then that’s what Doug is trying to do. Doug paints in a genre known as photorealism. His oil paintings look so lifelike they’re often mistaken for photographs.
Doug Bloodworth
“I love when people see my paintings…and say to one another, ‘Nice photo’,” Doug told Reshareworthy.com.
Doug Bloodworth
Doug told us that he loves to watch their reaction when they’re told they’re actually oil paintings. “Their look of incredulity is such a pleasure to watch. Many people stare at the paintings for a very long time.”
Doug Bloodworth
Much of his work has nostalgic subject matter. The images will trigger a memory of childhood that many people can relate to.
Doug Bloodworth
“I also enjoy evoking the feelings of nostalgia amongst the viewers,” comments Doug. “Recently…I overheard a family looking at my Monopoly painting. One said, ‘I was always the dog’; another said, ‘I was the iron’.”
Doug Bloodworth
Doug Bloodworth
Many of the images in Doug’s paintings are things he enjoyed as a kid. “My father was in the military and we moved around a lot. I was born on a US military base in the Philippines and also spent time in Hawaii as a child. As such, I spent a lot of time watching kids’ television and reading comic books.”
Doug Bloodworth
Doug says, “Recently, I was visiting the Celebrites Gallery in Maui, which showcases my paintings, and I overheard one couple talking about the painting with the Superman comic, the potato chips and the soft drink. The husband stated, ‘Wow, that’s me as a kid!’ ”
Doug Bloodworth
“As an adult, I love depicting these nostalgic images in my paintings. It seems to resonate with viewers as well.”
Doug Bloodworth
For 10 years, Doug painted huge outdoor billboards that were half the size of an Olympic pool!
Doug Bloodworth
His photorealistic paintings are nowhere near that size, but they’re still pretty big.
Doug Bloodworth
“A photorealist painting in the size I create them – four feet by five feet – can take me over two months to complete,” says Doug. “But it is a labor of love.”
Doug Bloodworth
Doug Bloodworth
Doug told Reshareworthy.com that he’s personally attached to whatever it is he’s painting.
Doug Bloodworth
He loves the challenge of trying to paint a newspaper to look like a real newspaper or making a Crayola marking look like it was drawn on paper.
Doug Bloodworth
Doug Bloodworth
He really hopes to push the genre of photorealistic paintings to a bigger audience.
Doug Bloodworth
“Photorealism is a genre or art which can be appreciated and loved by the novice as well as the refined collector,” Doug says.
Doug Bloodworth
Doug adds, “I would love for more and more people to become devotees of photorealism.”
Doug Bloodworth
Doug often visits the galleries displaying his work and paints on site to meet people and show them his work in progress.
Doug Bloodworth
“I’m so happy because I’m doing what I love and people also love, so how can life be better than that?”
Doug Bloodworth
Doug Bloodworth
Doug Bloodworth
You can see more of Doug’s art by visiting photorealism.com and Doug’s Facebook page.
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