oil portraits that speak in silence.
This isn’t gentle nostalgia. It’s memory sharpened to a blade. Paintings built from tension —quiet violence beneath surface calm. I work in oil. But what bleeds through isn’t pigment — it’s what we bury. Everything I paint is a carrier. A symptom. A question that won’t leave you alone. The work isn’t here to comfort you. It’s here to show you what silence looks like. It’s here to name the beautiful damage we all carry.
the artist's invitation
You’re not alone in the feeling that time once moved slower, or that joy once had fewer edges. Each portrait in solitude is a glimpse into an unresolved moment in a void, inviting viewers to step into their own introspection. Inspired by stories of near-death experiences contrasted against my faded childhood memories-I use the red, blue, yellow, and green of my childhood—those Nintendo hues of simpler times—and pit them against desaturated flesh and stark shadows. The result is a body rendered in reality, and a soul cast in color.
why people collect this work.
Collectors tell me my paintings ignite feelings of introspection and daydreams longing for the past. They become visual companions—anchoring a room.
Emotional depth: Artwork that resonates far beyond aesthetics
Conversation Igniter: My paintings become talking pieces , igniting deep conversation
Striking centerpiece: Bold, cinematic color balanced with minimal, painterly form
Limited availability: Originals and prints released in small, carefully curated quantities
About
My name is Thomas Tugnette
I don’t paint to soothe you.
I paint to expose what’s been gnawing underneath.
My name’s Thomas Tugnette. I make oil paintings that look quiet from across the room — but up close, they cut deep.
I paint expressively — loose, raw, never chasing perfection in the stroke, only truth in the feeling-- to capture the beautiful damage inside and out-- Authenticity in oil and solitude.
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