Bill Braun

Bill Braun’s paintings are impressive feats of hyper-realism. At first glance they appear to be the ingredients for a child’s art project – crumpled craft paper, masking tape, staples and cut out construction paper. In reality, every element is expertly rendered in acrylic paint on canvas using a trompe l’oeil technique.

Trompe l’oeil (French for “to deceive the eye”) is a type of painting that tricks the viewer into believing that they are looking at three-dimensional objects, rather than a two-dimensional plane. Braun’s work is an unusual example of trompe l’oeil in that his work takes on a distinctly lighthearted and childlike quality. Even after the viewer is in on the ruse, each element is so convincingly painted that it still appears as if the staples are real and the folded paper can be peeled back from the surface. No detail is too small in Braun’s playful and brilliantly colorful landscapes and still lifes. For over 25 years, Bill Braun has honed his distinctive style and enjoyed success across the Northwest and in art environments all over the world.