Stunning Oil Paintings Let Viewers Create Their Own Narratives

Stunning Oil Paintings of Mysterious Children Lost in Thought

“Girl Fixated on the Dark Spot of an Apple,” 2024. Oil and Ink on Linen.

For his first solo exhibition, artist Mark Pugh put together a series of 20 oil paintings that not only showcase his technical skills but also highlight his narrative capabilities. Each painting, inspired by his four daughters, offers a glimpse inside a storybook world. And while Pugh guides us with the titles, he allows the viewer to write the full story.

“Each painting tells its own little story, but rather than offer a complete narrative for each painting, I wanted to give just enough so that the viewer can formulate their own interpretation, completing and personalizing the stories themselves,” Pugh explains. “I mostly use children as subjects in my work, although I tend to juxtapose them with deeper, more mature themes.”

From a girl scrutinizing a black spot on an apple to another looking intently in the mirror while blocking her face, Pugh's compositions are not classic portraiture. Each girl seems lost in her own world, often unaware of the viewer's gaze. This is an intentional choice by Pugh in order to push the limits of his storytelling capabilities.

“Paintings of figures so frequently focus on faces. So much of the storytelling comes from faces that I wanted to explore what story I could tell by completely hiding the face,” he tells American Art Collector while discussing his painting, Girl with an Ornate Mirror and Brush. “The entire painting, from her dress to the mirror to the roses in the background, frame her in beauty, while I’ve hidden the most interesting part of any portrait.”

Pugh draws the viewer in with his incredible painting and drawing skills, which render his figures with precise detail. But at the same time, by focusing on universal themes of innocence, curiosity, and an awakening of knowledge, Pugh captures the viewer's imagination. This wonderful dance between the technical and the creative is a tribute to Pugh's work as an artist.

Scroll down for more pieces from Pugh's solo show The Girl and the Empty Mailbox and Other Stories, which was on view earlier this year at New York City's Arcadia Contemporary.