John Gordon Gauld’s playful, figurine-populated still life paintings are references to the tension between the organic and the manmade, and sometimes-tragicomic triumph of the artificial over the natural. Gauld is particularly influenced by the long tradition of still life and vanitas painting, popularized by Old Master painters from 14th through 17th centuries. He does, however, eschew the dark palettes of these forebears in favor of bright and vivid colors. Natural light is a key component in these paintings, which feature both interior and outdoor scenes. Gauld paints with egg-based tempera and oil paints, and is known for a precise and photorealistic style. He sometimes titles his works after literary passages.