Marcus Lundell

I am a self-taught painter and have been painting in reverse on glass for about 40 years. As a college student with limited funds I discovered that framing and finishing a piece of art was completely cost prohibitive. Using windows and discarded frames that I found, I began painting from behind the glass to get that “finished look.” I applied the highlights and detail first, then working backwards I scraped and chiseled the piece out. Initially all my work was landscapes.

During this time I was also creating captioned drawings of humor cartoons for my hometown Portland Newspapers. I loved these comical characters so I began to add them into my paintings on glass. And they still can be found in my current glass work.

I really love the effect of the paint through the glass. Using paints and color evoke a memory of seeing the vibrant Saturday Morning Cartoons of early Color TV through the glass of the television. My work captures a glow and a kind of vibrancy that comes out through the glass. Today, my work is framed glass pieces. Most of my work is pretty happy with a few serious exceptions. Maybe because everywhere I look, there are plenty of happy people where I reside . . .

Currently I spend my winters in Santa Barbara, California and spend the summers on the Northern Coast of Oregon. Both of these 'holiday' locations are full of inspiration for me, and both are very different worlds and climates. Like different planets! Each has a collection of wonderful local characters, friends, and the streets are filled with visiting tourists. To me these are two of the most beautiful regions in the world. My biggest fan and supporter of my work is my travel companion and life partner of 30+ years, Bill Basiliko. He and our two wild scruffy labs, Betty and Charlie, are found in my work occasionally. All of my pieces are one of a-kind-originals as it is difficult to duplicate them with printing or photography through the glass.

Incidentally, all of the funds that I generate through the gallery sales of my paintings I donate to charitable organizations in Key West, Santa Barbara and the Oregon Coast. Thanks for taking a look and I hope you get pleasure out of my characters and views in my Reverse Paintings on Glass.

Member & Regular Participant 2005-2012

CAPITOL HILL ART LEAGUE | Washington, DC

Current Shows

SEASIDE COFFEE HOUSE (semi-permanent show) | Seaside, Oregon
KEY WEST ART CENTER | Key West, Florida
ART AT 830 | Key West, Florida

Past Shows