Artist Statement

Drawing upon memories of painting trains in his youth, O'Neill conveys the impressive scale and saturated colors in his hyper-realistic paintings. The play of company logos and graffiti pieces on canvas highlight the color relationships, and the variety of patterns, and textures found in both streamline worlds of graphic design and graffiti. O'Neill often paints seldom frequented urban areas. “There’s a certain kind of atmosphere that pervades into discarded, or out of reach places” says O’Neill. Using extended perspective and without figures, he creates his own hyper reality. O’Neill’s deep knowledge of his subject and acute attention to detail bring these paintings to life, evoking a sense of awe and passion. 


The paintings here represent three different series that I have been working on over the past few years.  The series depict a variety of objects and settings, yet showcase my specific realist style.  I have always felt compelled to create bold or eye-catching images. 

"With these train paintings I'm trying to convey the physical sensation of being in close proximity of a freight."

In the "Still Life" series I gather a collection of objects and organize the composition in such a way as to bring focus to the collective formal structure. 

The "Coastal" series is based on my memories of growing up on Nantucket and Cape Cod.  Living in these coastal communities I have gained a great appreciation for the ocean and those who earn a living working on the water.  I have tried to capture some of the feelings and memories of this way of life in these paintings by using the natural color contrast found between the neutral coastline and the intense blues.  I apply many of these colors with a pallet knife, creating a thick crust that is then incorporated with layers of spray paint, creating a surface filled with texture