Paintings
Large scale mural art and framable fine art

Large Murals are painted on muslin and can be shipped.
Portraits and landscapes can be commissioned from your photos.
Please email or call me for price quotes.

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"Evening Stroll"

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"Evening Stroll"
An Evening Stroll (on Mimas)


This original acrylic on canvas painting by artist Cal Kothrade was painted during a 51 month period beginning in 2015, and completed in2020. It measures 24 inches tall by 72 inches wide. Painted in a 'retro' style reminiscent of the 1950's Poplular Science magazineartwork, it depicts a space colony on Mimas, Saturn's second smallest moon. Mimas measures just 246 miles in diameter, has an orbital period of 23 hours, and consists of mainlyice and a bit of rock. It is also known as Saturn 1, or Saturn's Death Star because of it's 80 mile wide crater, named Herschel. This tidally locked moon was discovered in 1789 by English astronomer Sir William Herschel, and has the distinction of being the smallest known astronomical body with aspherical shape due to self gravitation.


In the scene, the viewer joins a man and woman as they enjoy an eveningstroll to 'Lookout Point', to marvel at Saturn and it's glorious rings, flanked by the Milky Way's galactic core setting into the pockmarked moonscape. After a short rover trip upfrom the floor of basecamp crater, where outpost Eclipse is located, it's just a 10 minute hike on foot to one of the best viewsin the solar system. The hike is made easier by the fact that Mimas's gravity is far less than that on Earth.


Visible in the night sky are other celestial favorites such as one of Saturn's other smaller moons, Janus, the Horsehead Nebula, the constellation Orion, and Major Ellie Basing's astrological zodiac sign, Aries. Clear resin was applied over the painting to bring out the true colors and cause the blacks toshow as dark as possible, mimicking the utter blackness of space.


Far below our space pioneers, lies their base, Eclipse, complete with terrarium domes for food production, living quarters,science labs, radio communications antenna, and a landing pad for the twice yearly shuttle, which happens to be arriving with reliefpersonnel at this very moment. The shuttle is adapted from the movie Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey, which is intentionally in stark contrast to the 1950's styletechnology portrayed everywhere else in the scene. Near the bottom of Saturn, over a “odd” part of space, the clear resin's surface is distorted by anaddition of a few drops of denatured alcohol, causing small moguls, further accentuating the warp in the time-space continuum whichclearly has something to do with the painting's time stamp identification issues. With future technology juxtaposed againstthat of the mid twentieth century, and a main character who at the time of the painting's completion was but a toddler, it begs one mindbending question...is it 1950, or 2050? A truly inter-dimensional and time-speed related paradox, one that was at the very core ofMcConaughey's film. The artist leaves it to the viewer to decide which is right.

Painting is sold.











































































    

Pebbles and Gus

Acrylic latex on stretched canvas, size 18" x 24".   This is a commissioned piece for the owner of the two dogs in the foreground.  I was tasked with painting his two dogs in old English clothing on a sailing ship in a storm...I chose to model the scene after the HMS Surprise, an 18th century British ship of the line.  Think "Master and Commander, Far side of the World"






































      

 

     


"Ode to Ygritte"

 

Acrylic latex on canvas. Size is 40 inches tall by 16 inches wide. Painting is for sale. $350














































 

"Honoring Those Who Served"

 

Acrylic latex on overhead door. Size is 10 feet tall by 14 feet wide. Painted as a commissioned piece for the outside of New Berlin Historical Museum. Painting depicts the first fire chief, first police chief of New Berlin, WI and a favorite son ot the community, a WWII fighter pilot.

The three now deceased individuals, are depicted standing in front of New Berlin's Veteran's Memorial, as if they had been brought back to life for the photo. The oval ring around the image is the bevel cut mat around the 'priceless photo'

Painted in fall of 2016 by Cal Kothrade. Original design and concept by Cal Kothrade.

 





















 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 


"Taj-Mahal"

 

Acrylic latex on wood panels (4). Size is 8 feet tall by 16 feet wide. Painted as a rentable backdrop for a prop rental business in Milwaukee, WI, with the help of Ben Lowery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





"Arte'"

Acrylic latex on concrete block. Painted as a decorative mural for a private business in downtown Wauwatosa, WI. Arte' is an art and wine bar that was looking for some extra curb appeal. The painting was completed in less than a week with the help of Ben Lowery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









"Grave Digger"

Acrylic on Canvas. Size 8'x20'. Painted as a backdrop for a haloween display for Green Bay Packers football organization. Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


"Clownfish "

 

Acrylic on canvas. Measures 24"x36". Painting is for sale. $1750

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
 




"City Hall Mural "

 

Acrylic on drywall. Painted for City of New Berlin, WI inside City Hall. Painting symbolizes the country roots of a suburban community and it's growing city side. Size 20'wide by 14'tall. Mural's bottom edge is 9' from floor. Painted onsite using scaffolding. Time to complete 3 days. Painted in conjunction with David Gass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Honoring Our Past "

Acrylic on overhead door. Painted for City of New Berlin, WI Historical Museum. Featuring notable places and people significant to the city's history. Size 10' x 20'. Painted in conjunction with David Gass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Apostle Caves "

Acrylic on canvas. Hand painted from a client's family vacation photo. Size 20" x 20"

Painting is sold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"American Gothic "

Acrylic on wood bench. A hand painted reproduction of Grant Wood's masterpiece "American Gothic"

Bench is sold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wedding Day "

Acrylic on canvas, size 16 by 20 inches. Commissioned as an anniversary gift, painted from a 4x6 photo.

Painting is sold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Haunted Church "

This painting is size 8 feet by 8feet, latex housepaint on luann panels (2). This was painted as a backdrop for a 3 dimensional vignette for a Halloween display. Working time approx. 8 hours.

Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

"Northerner Bow Explored"

This painting is an acrylic on canvas depiction of a lone diver exploring the bow of the Port Washington, WI area shipreck. The painting is 24" by 36" but with the included frame measures slightly larger. The painting is signed on the back by the artist and the actual diver depicted. This extraordinary piece of maritime fine art is ready to hang and will make the boldest of statements in any room.

Painting is sold. Giclees are available, please contact Cal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

"B737-800"

This mural is 10 feet wide by 8 feet tall, and was painted on two separate wood frames stretched with muslin. I have photoshopped the gap between the two panels out so that the painting as it was intended can be viewed. No other changes were made to the image and it accurately depicts the real painting.

Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

"Shipwrecks"

These paintings are smaller than I usually work, only 9" by 12". The Northerner is the view of the stern with it's debris field. The Norland depicts the huge rudder and rudder post that rises up out of Lake Michigan's clay bottom over 15 feet high. Both paintings are from my original photographs and are acrylic latex on 1/8 inch board.

Both paintings are sold. Giclees are available, please contact Cal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

"The Devil"

This painting was done to match other similar styled portraits of Halloween charachters in a private collection. Acrylic on wood, size 4' by 8'. Due to constraining parameters, the bottom of the painting was intentionally left black to match other portraitsthe collection. Total painting time about 8 hours. A reference image found on the internet was used for this painting.

Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Northerner "

This painting is a commissioned piece for a fellow diver. Acrylic on canvas, size 15" by 20". This was painted from a photograph taken by the client, of a shipwreck off of Port Washington, WI. The Northerner went down in 1868 while being towed to Milwaukee for repairs. No lives were lost. The wreck is a popular dive site for divers, sitting in 130 feet of water.

Painting is sold. Giclees are available, please contact Cal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

          

"Don's Drive-In"

This painting is a collaborative effort between Ben Lowery and myself. Latex on muslin, 10' tall by 20' wide. Photographs of an actual diner were used as a basis for "Don's" but some elements have been changed. About 30 hours painting time for each of us on this mural.

Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

          

"The Treasure "

Originally designed to be two individual portraits of pirates, this was painted in stages. Made from 4 separate 5' wide by 10' tall panels, when put together the full mural is 10 feet tall by 20 feet long. The seams where the panels join together have been photoshopped out to minimize the visual distraction. Several months ago I painted the panel that contains the pirate on the left and my coworker Ben Lowery painted the pirate panel on the right. We painted the backgrounds in the same manner so the two portraits would appear as a matched set even though they were to be displayed apart from one another. Several months later I still felt like the story had not been properly told so I painted two more panels to complete the full image I had in my mind's eye. . .

The captain and his close friend and partner in crime, the first mate, have come ashore to personally oversee the burying of the treasure. They have chosen a beautiful yet desolate and uninhabited island to hide the latest plunderings. While some of the crew remains behind to stow the sails, others are dispatched in longboats to bring the loot ashore while the proud captain and first mate scout the perfect spot to dig.

Items of interest: rivet detail on the brass framework of the second chest, two pirate flags proudly flying in the breeze on the ship, no less than 15 people in this painting, a welcome rainshower in the distance to the left, and a distant cliff inspired by the movie "Castaway"

Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

     

"Milwaukee City Hall Clock"

This painting is a backdrop mural for Milwaukee's City Hall to help celebrate the completion of the exterior refurbishing and the building being added to the national register of historical places in December, 2008. The mural will be displayed with a section of scaffolding in front of it and used for photo-ops, allowing the person/persons in the picture to appear as though they were actually on the work scaffolding in front of the awesome stonework, lionheads, and clock. The mural measures about 12' x 9' and represents one of the clock tower's faces at actual size (over 15 feet in diameter). It is painted as if the viewer were looking up and slightly to the right as the actual clock face is over 200 feet above the sidewalk. Acrylic latex on canvas, 4 colors, 19 hours.

Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

"Titanic Underway "

This painting was done on muslin using interior latex house paints. The mural is 8 feet high by 8 feet long, was painted on two 4' x 8' canvases in vertical orientation for ease of transport and took 4 hours total to complete. This is a replica of a portion of a full size painting of the Titanic by someone else and is not our original concept. Our client specifically requested this section of the artists work to be replicated as well as the aspect ratio.

The painting was created in tandem by myself and Ben Lowery, a talented MIAD graduate. Responsibilities were shared equally as both panels were painted by both of us simultaneously so as to keep a consistent style throughout as opposed to each of us taking our own 4x8 panel and joining them together when we were done. The joint partnership was due to time constraints.

Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

"Deep Woods "

This original painting was done on a garage door using interior and exterior latex house paints. The mural is 7 feet high by 16 feet long and took about 18 hours to complete. This was commissioned work and followed preset guidelines from the homeowners. After an initial meeting a proof was created in Photoshop and approved before any work began.

 
Watch it being painted on YouTube


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

"Ghostship"

This original painting was done on muslin using interior latex house paints. The mural is 10 feet high by 20 feet long and took about 12 hours total to create. This was commissioned work and was to be a spooky halloween pirate/ghostship backdrop for a display vignette. Original idea was sketched out on paper first then painted using several photos for reference.

Painting is currently not for sale, though it can be rented from "Props Unlimited" in Milwaukee, WI for private parties/events.

Painting is in private collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                 

Betty Page- "Going Down?"

This original acrylic painting was inspired by the great pin-up
queen Betty Page and was painted by hand on MDF board.
Painting measures 20" x 30"

Full size, high quality lithographic prints of this painting can be purchased for $15.00 plus shipping. Email me.

Painting is currently for sale.
$4,500.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

"Tropical Rainforest "

This original painting was done on muslin using interior latex house paints. The mural is 10 feet high by 20 feet long and took about 1.5 hours to complete. This was commissioned work and was used as a wall covering in an entry stairwell at a soccer stadium that was being rented for a corporate tropical themed party. A second nearly identical mural was created for the other half of the stairwell.

Mural was a combined effort by myself, Ben Lowery, and Daron Fayas and can be seen being painted in super fast motion in a 4 minute film here:

Watch it being painted on YouTube


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Celestial"

This original acrylic is inspired by one of my own photographs from a European fashion photoshoot taken in 2007. The original painting is acrylic on board, and measures 12 x 24 inches.

 

Painting is currently for sale.
$2,900.00

 

 
     
     
Enlargements showing detail