Filip Saitis
A collection of some of my favorite pieces of art and photographs.
Mediums explored include oil paint, pastel crayon, charcoal, scratchboard, acrylic paint, digital, watercolor, and pencil.
Contemporary Impressionist Seascape · Acrylic on canvas A storm-tossed pier, originally known as an AI-generated piece, now brought to life in paint.
Plein-Air Realism · Oil on canvas Painting in my parents’ backyard on a steamy Wisconsin afternoon.
Figurative Realism · Oil on canvas My grandfather picking flowers for his wife, painted in Romania.
Contemporary Realism · Oil on canvas A portrait of a friend’s tool shed, painted as a personal gift.
Academic Anatomical Study · Pastel crayon on toned paper An anatomical study of the musculature and structures of the neck, inspired by Netter.
Contemporary Abstract Cityscape · Acrylic on canvas This painting is special to me because it was my second attempt at painting. It still hangs in my childhood bedroom.
Custom Sneaker Art / Urban Cityscape · Acrylic leather paint on Nike sneakers A custom pair created for a friend from Chicago, extending the city skyline across both shoes.
Custom Sneaker Art / Urban Cityscape · Acrylic leather paint on Nike sneakers A custom pair created for a friend from Chicago, extending the city skyline across both shoes. Photo after completing the first half of the Chicago skyline on the shoe.
Geometric Abstraction · Digital painting A study of shape and dimensionality.
Expressionist Portraiture · Digital painting A chroma study exploring how shifts in hue and saturation can construct facial form.
Contemporary Landscape Realism · Oil on canvas The exact view from the place where I proposed to my wife.
Photorealistic Automotive Study · Digital painting A study in automotive realism.
Scratchboard Realism · Scratchboard A high-contrast animal study created by scratching through a black surface to reveal white beneath. This unforgiving process makes each mark permanent.
Still-Life Realism · Oil on canvas A study of floral form.
Large-Scale Botanical Mural · Exterior mural paint A large-scale floral mural commissioned for a private residence in Chicago, approximately 150 square feet.
Expressionist Landscape · Acrylic on canvas A color study exploring heightened saturation.
Contemporary Figurative Landscape · Oil on canvas The first in a series exploring repetition and variation. An original composition later recreated twice after both of my grandparents asked for a version of their own.
Contemporary Figurative Landscape · Oil on canvas The second interpretation of an original painting, created for one of my grandparents as an exercise in reproducing the same composition while allowing subtle variations to emerge.
Contemporary Figurative Landscape · Oil on canvas The third iteration of the same composition, completing a three-painting study of repetition, consistency, and the natural variation of painting by hand.
Atmospheric Urban Impressionism · Acrylic on canvas An artist study inspired by another painter’s work.
Automotive Realism · Graphite and marker on paper A detailed automotive study of reflection.
Expressive Figurative Study · Graphite on paper An expression study focused on the eyes and the subtle changes that communicate emotion.
Textural Impressionist Landscape · Oil on canvas A large-format study of impasto and dimensionality, using substantial layers of oil paint to build a heavily textured field of flowers and landscape.
Expressionist Portraiture · Digital painting A lighting study exploring intense, saturated color.
Expressive Figurative Realism · Charcoal on paper A study of restrained emotion, using stark lighting, facial expression, and subtle muscular tension in the neck.
Urban Gesture Studies · Graphite on paper Quick observational sketches made on the streets of Banff, capturing passersby in the brief moments before they moved out of view.
Automotive Realism · Oil on canvas A study of reflected color and light across the complex surfaces of a car.
Planetary Landscape · Acrylic on canvas A textural interpretation of Jupiter, painted as a personal gift for my brother.
Scratchboard Realism · Scratchboard A high-contrast lion study created entirely through subtractive mark-making, scratching away the black surface to reveal white beneath in a process where each mark is effectively permanent.
Modular Polyptych · Acrylic on canvas An experiment in fragmentation and continuity, dividing a single composition across multiple individual canvases that assemble to form one larger image.
Luminous Architectural Realism · Watercolor on paper A study of watercolor’s transparency, using restrained washes and preserved highlights to capture the softness of natural light.
Expunged - Conceptual Figurative Realism · Charcoal on paper An award-winning portrait exploring texture, fine detail, and erasure as both a visual technique and a source of deeper meaning. First Place, Congressional Art Competition.
Lion of Judah, Blood of the Lamb - Symbolic Expressionism · Watercolor on paper A symbolic exploration of the strength and mercy of God.
Digital Still Life · 3D Render An exploration of three-dimensional modeling and rendering, with emphasis on material texture, lighting, reflection, and realistic form.
Expressive Wildlife · Acrylic on canvas A small-format study created with a relatively large brush, exploring how limited mark size and bold strokes can still convey fine detail and form.
Floral Still Life · Oil on canvas A floral study painted as a personal gift for my wife.
Abstract Expressionism · Oil on canvas An abstract study of water, evoking the flow and turbulence of a moving surface.
Scratchboard Realism · Scratchboard A tiger study built through thousands of subtractive marks.
Night photography study of artificial light and color with a friend • Kenosha, Wisconsin
Astrophotography study of the Milky Way • Bedeciu, Cluj, Romania
Mountain portraiture with my wife • Banff, Alberta, Canada
Landscape photography along the shores of Lake Louise • Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
Urban lakefront photography • Chicago, Illinois - oil paint effect applied using Photoshop
Atmospheric landscape photography in the Canadian Rockies • Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
Creative portrait study using smoke • Racine, Wisconsin
Environmental portraiture at sunset in the Wisconsin hills • Fennimore, Wisconsin
Portrait study emphasizing detail • Kenosha, Wisconsin
Minimalist portraiture across the Utah salt flats • Utah, USA
Camping beneath the night sky and astrophotography • Fennimore, Wisconsin
Composition study using perspective and negative space • Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Overhead landscape study • Kenosha, Wisconsin
Silhouette study • Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Creative portrait study using composition and digital manipulation • Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Timing and motion study • Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
Abstract aerial study of fractured lake ice • Chicago, Illinois
Urban composition along the Lake Michigan shoreline • Chicago, Illinois
Wildlife study • Yellowstone National Park, USA
Still-life composition • Chicago, Illinois
Aerial study of a lighthouse and breaking lake ice • Kenosha, Wisconsin
Aerial landscape study of the mountains at sunset • Near Salt Lake City, Utah
Environmental portraiture • Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
Creative portrait study using reflection and composition • Kenosha, Wisconsin
Light and architectural study in a mountain cabin • Near Killington, Vermont
About the artist
I taught myself to draw with a pencil and paper in my room. I wasn't talented, and it didn't happen right away. Days stretched into years as I poured thousands of hours into practicing. When I became confident with a pencil, I picked up a brush. Then a stylus. I never started as some prodigy, but I refused to stop. I've poured white gesso on top of dozens of finished canvas and crumped thousands of A4 sheets, but it was all in an effort to gain excellence. Thank you to those who have supported me, both patrons and family. Thank you to God for the hands that let me paint, and for the blessing of a life in which I have time to pursue my dreams.