Artist quote

I was in the Coast Guard. If you haven’t been to sea, you don’t know what it’s like out there. The sky’s like nothing else. Luminous creatures live in the water and you can see a phosphorescent trail spreading out in the wake. I want to create that same magic in my art.

Artist bio

Born in Queens, fascinated and obsessed with painting and drawing since childhood, New York artist Harry Traulsen Jr. studied art at the Art Students League. Influenced by the works of artists like Andrew Wyeth and Wolf Kahn, Traulsen formed his unique approach to land, sea, and cityscapes. 

Artist statement 

I collect light. Wherever I’ve lived, on sea or on land, in Cape Cod, Paris, Charleston, or New York, I gather the beauty of light and air and land and transfer them to canvas. For me, painting is a meditation, and my hope is that the viewer attains the same sense of peace and calm viewing my art that I achieve while creating it.

Process 

Using oil on canvas, I distill my memories and impressions of land, sea, and sky into expressions of light and nature. For my abstract, monochromatic cityscapes, I use thicker oil to create a sculptural effect in which different details emerge depending on the light and viewing angle.