“Pewter and Pears” Oil on board, 18” x 14”
Loran Speck was a California born artist whose works illustrate such an exquisite orchestration of color, light, shadow and subject detail that the viewer is often compelled to reach into the piece or feel the texture to be assured the dents, chips or cracks are not defects in the board or canvas. The details are so fine that photographs do his pieces no justices.
He attended Oregon State University on a football scholarship. He had not considered art as an avocation or even a hobby until he enrolled in a scientific illustration class and became aware of his natural talent. It is said that he drew inspiration for his highly realistic and detailed still life paintings from the realist artists of the Renaissance such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Rubens. He became an undisputed master of the still life realist genre of art.
The heavy, solid museum quality frames that encase the works in 22 karat gold leaf or metal leaf were hand carved in his own framing and gilding studio. Each frame is in itself a work of art and often textured to compliment the work it adorns.
Speck has been honored with feature articles and covers such as USArt (October 1989), American Artist (February 1994), Art of the West (January/February 1996), Southwest Art (January 1987 & March 1998) and Art of the West (January/February) 2005.
