Can't find the painting that you are looking for? No problem! We can paint any painting in any size, even if it's not listed on our website. Simply make a request and we will get back to you with a quote within a few hours.
Optional - receive your painting ready to hang. Note we are only able to ship framed paintings up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached, the framing option is automatically disabled. If ordered without a frame the painting will arrive rolled inside a protective tube with an extra 1.5" white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it in any local frame shop.
Winslow Homer concluded the watercolor painting entitled Old Friends in 1894. He was about fifty-eight-years old, and this was the mature period of his artistic career. Many decades before this, Homer stopped working with commercial illustration to dedicate himself to oil and watercolor painting – but still took his traits as an illustrator with him. After many trips to tropical locations, the artist mastered the craft of watercolor painting, working on different landscapes. Homer’s approach to watercolors varied from realism to a more modern and Impressionistic style.
In fact, Homer already painted outdoors before meeting artists from the Impressionist movement – as they also worked like this, but named it working en plein air. Just as the French painters, he was concerned with observing the natural sunlight upon a landscape. By watching the same scene in various weather conditions and during different times of the day, Homer captured the essence of what he saw with light and color. Working with watercolor enabled him to experiment during his travels, and on some occasions, he used the watercolors to create a finished oil painting in his studio.
It was only a few years after Homer painted Old Friends that his financial situation became more stable. Many museums were interested in purchasing his artwork, and he was able to charge a good, fair price for his paintings. Homer and the Impressionists also shared their love for nature. Landscape painting came naturally to the American artist, but he featured the human figure in many of his paintings as well. Only during the end of his career, would the painter focus on the magnitude of nature itself, without the narrative implied by the human figure – depicting mostly powerful seascapes.
In Old Friends, Homer portrays a man with a long, gray beard – possibly a mountain guide – looking up at a towering tree. He raises his hand to touch the trunk, which size indicates the tree is as old as the man. Homer contrasts the forefront from the background with a simple use of color combinations. The central figures, meaning the man, the large tree, and the fallen leaves on the floor, were painted in warm shades of brown, orange, and red. While the smaller trees in the background are in cool shades of blue, green, and ochre.
Real Oil Paints, Real Brushes, Real Artists, Real Art. The Certificate of Authenticity which arrives with every painting provides an assurance and verifies the authenticity of the hand painted fine art reproduction you purchased. Each oil painting is created by hand using only the finest canvas and oil paints available.
Important Notes About Your Painting:
If you have any request to alter your reproduction of Old Friends,
you must email us after placing your order and we'll have an artist contact you.
If you have another image of Old Friends
that you would like the artist to work from, please include it as an attachment. Otherwise, we will reproduce the above image for you exactly as it is.
Free shipping is included in the price of the painting. Once the painting is ready and dry enough to ship, we will roll it and ship it in a sturdy cardboard tube.
We always ship express via courier to ensure your order reaches you as soon as possible - normally within three business days. The total delivery time from the moment you place your order until the package is delivered to your door is normally between three to four weeks.
If, in the unlikely event you were dissatisfied with the painting after reviewing it in person, it can be returned for a full refund for up to 365 days after delivery.
When you receive the painting; you are free to return it for more revisions or else for a full refund minus our actual shipping cost -- which is, on average, $25 per painting.
1st Art Gallery provides a full warranty covering manufacturing and material defects for paintings purchased from our website. The warranty covers damage for normal use. Damage caused by incidents such as accidents or inappropriate use are not covered.
Depending on the degree of damage to the warranted painting, it will either be repaired or replaced. This warranty service is provided free of charge.
When purchasing a painting on its own, it will arrive rolled inside a secure tube with an extra 1.5" of white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it in any local frame shop.
You may choose to purchase your painting framed, in which case, it will arrive "ready to hang". We offer more than 20 beautiful models, all hand finished and expertly assembled by our experienced framers.
Note that for safety reasons we can only frame up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached the framing option is automatically disabled.
If you are planning to frame your painting yourself,
use an existing frame, or frame it locally, you may choose to order your painting with a stretching service,
meaning that it will arrive mounted on wooden bars.
If you're considering not framing your painting at all, you may opt for a Gallery Wrap. The term Gallery Wrap refers to the way the canvas is stretched, which is by wrapping it around thick stretcher bars, about 1.5 inch thick, with the canvas being secured to the back rather than the sides of those bars.
All orders ship with UPS, FedEx or DHL and will arrive directly to your home or office. A tracking number will be emailed to you as soon as the order leaves our studio so you can track it online. All orders ship express and usually arrive within 4-5 days from the shipping date. Due to shipping restraints, many of our framed, stretched, and oversize paintings may take 6-21 days for arrival depending on the safest route determined by the postal service.