Collection: Thomas Arvid Art

Thomas Arvid painting wine

Thomas Arvid Art in Limited Edition Canvas and Paper Giclees and Originals. Artist Thomas Arvid is The Premier Expert In Photo Realism of Fine Wine Art. Visit the Art Center Gallery and Add Thomas Arvid Art to Your Collection Today!

Art Center Gallery is proud to feature Thomas Arvid original art, prints and canvas glicees. Known as the “Preeminent Painter of Wine,” if you like the taste, smell and feeling you get sharing a glass of wine with friends, Thomas Arvid captures it for you. He possesses an unerring ability to refine a moment. In doing so he captures our wonder and has become an art world phenomenon.

Named one of the top "25 Artists You Should Know" by US Art magazine, Arvid receives critical acclaim for his ability to portray centuries old traditions in a startlingly fresh style. His oversized still life compositions of wine and the rituals surrounding its consumption are often called photo-realistic. Arvid's images astound viewers with their intricate details and his mastery of light, depth and reflection.

Personal History

Arvid’s approach to wine and painting is surprising, given his background. He was born in Detroit, MI and had no formal art training and never expected to make fine art a career. Arvid moved to Atlanta from Detroit in 1986 and discovered alternatives to the industrial, blue collar work ethic of his home. Growing up drawing, painting murals and doing illustrations, Thomas thought his only choices for a career in art were as a commercial artist, sign painter, or draftsman. Instead, Arvid made the leap into pursuing his art as a career, and with the support of his art historian wife and inspiration garnered during a backpacking trip through Europe, he began painting full time. His move to Atlanta also signaled a move into painting with oils, and his discovery of the beauty of wine as a vehicle for his artistic vision.

Having been drawn to the color red his whole life, he explains, “I painted tennis shoes, Radio Flyer wagons and other things in their natural state – how they are used. Similarly, I like to capture the feeling of being around a bottle of wine.” After beginning his study of red wine, Arvid knew he had discovered something when his paintings featuring red wine were being purchased before they were finished. Arvid is awed by the response to his work, “Wine is a great subject because people are familiar with it; they really connect to it. My paintings are really the landscapes between people sharing wine - it’s amazing that my collectors find personal fulfillment in my work, especially when I’m just doing what I love.”

Style

Thomas Arvid is a contemporary oil painter whose career revolves around painting photo-realistic depictions of fine wine and the rituals surrounding its consumption. Arvid is credited with launching a major art trend with his photorealistic compositions that feature wine.

Arvid developed his style after a few trips to the vineyards in Napa, California where he discovered that most artists painted vineyards and grape clusters. No one captured the ambiance of family and friends enjoying wine so the self-taught artist came up with a style that poses a bottle of wine, glasses, the cork and sometimes a corkscrew – all in a natural setting viewed from a natural angle. “I like to paint it just as you see it on a table or counter, not from eye level,” he says.

Arvid developed his style cautiously, and after he met wife, Vanessa, the couple quickly turned art into a family business. “When I met her, she understood, even before I did, really, that my style is different, and she gave me the confidence to keep going,” he says. The style is as close to a photograph as anyone can imagine, but it’s paint and it’s gaining in popularity on a global level.

The magic of his painting is in Thomas Arvid's ability to visualize and chronicle an entire scene beyond the frame - to tell a story of enjoyment and the good life - using lush color and adroit composition. He illuminates and shares that moment with viewers.

Every Last Detail

Through Thomas Arvid's strikingly realistic compositions of wine, he has redefined the modern still life, setting an unmatched precedent in the art world. When asked how he gets such incredible detail in his work, he says he’s been doing it for so long that he sees color and knows how to build it. He has a true passion for his art.

The illusion of the wine bottle features incredible reflections of windows and outdoor views – but no self-portraits in those reflections. “You can see my hands in one of the paintings, but I’m not in them,” he says. Arvid unites the aesthetics of art and the sensual complexity of fine wine in his large-scale paintings. He has a talent for portraying light and color. Uniting an eye for photo-realism with a genuine talent for abstract composition, Thomas Arvid offers an innovative commentary about a familiar subject.

The aura surrounding the work of Thomas Arvid is palpable. Arvid's international appeal has created such demand that his work is represented by over 50 elite art galleries in the US, Canada and Japan, and collectors are willing to wait years for one of his originals.

Influence

Arvid's influence on the art world has been the focus of an Art Business News cover story, profiles in Wine Spectator and the Los Angeles Times, and featured on the cable program "In Wine Country." Influential collectors of his work include many important wineries. Silver Oak Cellars, Shafer Vineyards, Diamond Creek Winery and Flora Springs Winery all display his work prominently.

In the span of ten short years, the artist has achieved spectacular success and no one has been more awed by the response than Arvid himself. "I'm so lucky that I get to make a living doing what I love. I paint because I enjoy the process and the surprise of creating something from nothing - just a vignette in my mind, a blank canvas and tubes of paint. It's amazing. Then my collectors are able to find a personal connection and fulfillment in a piece of my work. That is truly special."

Today, Thomas Arvid and his wife, Vanessa, head Thomas Arvid Fine Art, Inc., one of the most successful boutique art publishing companies in the country. Founded in 2000, the company distributes Arvid’s limited editions and originals across the country and the world. In 2004 they released a retrospective of Arvid’s work, “Arvid: Redefining the Modern Still Life,” that traces the development of Arvids style from its beginnings a decade ago to the lifestyle it is today.

Thomas Arvid's natural charisma and infectious enthusiasm for art and wine guarantee his continued success and popularity. Arvid's work and philosophy is perfectly embodied in his famous phrase, "Life without art is like dinner without wine. Why bother?"