Work samples

  • Double Rainbow .jpg
    Double Rainbow .jpg
    Double Rainbow, acrylic on velvet, 36 x 60 inches
  • sausage truck.JPG
    sausage truck.JPG
    Sausage Truck, acrylic on velvet, 30 x 20 inches
  • hightechnails.JPG
    hightechnails.JPG
    HI-TECH, acrylic on velvet, 42 x 68 inches
  • Glass Upholstery
    Glass Upholstery
    Glass Upholstery, acrylic on velvet,50 x 38 inches.

About Tony

Tony Shore is a Baltimore-based artist who paints on Black velvet mostly recognized for his autobiographical paintings of blue-collar life in Southwest Baltimore . Tony is a recipient of a 2017 Franz and Virginia Bader Grant and a 2016 Rubys artist grant. He is the 2007 winner of The Walter and Janet Sondheim Prize as well as the 2005 winner of the Bethesda Painting Prize. He was a 2008 and 2016 finalist for the Trawick Prize and has been the recipient of several Maryland State Arts Council… more

Most Recent Paintings on Velvet Gallery 1

One man's trash is another man's treasure - This often used phrase is one that truly resonates with me when considering my artwork.

I grew up in a flea market family; we supplemented much of our income through the flea market and yard sales trade. From a young age I learned to find value in places that others ignored. As an artist I want to provide a window for others to appreciate things they may often overlook or undervalue.

Velvet painting is a medium often written off as kitsch or lowbrow and looked down upon by the art world. I choose to address it with a reverence reserved for the finest linen. Velvet painting itself has a rich and interesting history, centuries old. My goal is to elevate this medium and make it worthy of galleries and museums.

The people that I paint, mostly family, friends, and neighbors, are often referred to as inner city hillbillies, or even worse, white trash. The places that I paint are usually seen as deteriorating slums or white trash ghettos. I see once proud neighborhoods and buildings, occupied by real people with real stories. I choose to paint them with sincerity, dignity, and honesty.

My subjects and my medium then, become intertwined, each with its own value and history. This mutual relationship is a driving force in my work.

  • La Bahia
    La Bahia
  • BOBO Smoke Shop
    BOBO Smoke Shop

    BOBO Smoke Shop

    acrylic on velvet, 36 x 24 inches, 2023

  • Hoops
    Hoops

    Hoops

    acrylic on velvet, 48 x 36 inches

  • PINKS
    PINK"S

    PINK'S

    acrylic on velvet, 60 x 40 inches, 2023

  • Venice
    Venice

    Venice, acrylic on velvet 40 x 60 inches

     

  • Fortune Teller
    Fortune Teller

    Fortune Teller 

    acrylic on velvet, 48 x 40 inches, 2023

  • Seventh Veil
    Seventh Veil

    Seventh Veil, acrylic on velvet, 2023

  • Guest House
    Guest House

    Guest House, acrylic on velvet, 2024.

     

  • Taco Spot
    Taco Spot

    Taco Spot,

    acrylic on velvet, 24 x 48 inches, 2023

Velvet Paintings Gallery 2

One man's trash is another man's treasure - This often used phrase is one that truly resonates with me when considering my artwork.

I grew up in a flea market family; we supplemented much of our income through the flea market and yard sales trade. From a young age I learned to find value in places that others ignored. As an artist I want to provide a window for others to appreciate things they may often overlook or undervalue.

Velvet painting is a medium often written off as kitsch or lowbrow and looked down upon by the art world. I choose to address it with a reverence reserved for the finest linen. Velvet painting itself has a rich and interesting history, centuries old. My goal is to elevate this medium and make it worthy of galleries and museums.

The people that I paint, mostly family, friends, and neighbors, are often referred to as inner city hillbillies, or even worse, white trash. The places that I paint are usually seen as deteriorating slums or white trash ghettos. I see once proud neighborhoods and buildings, occupied by real people with real stories. I choose to paint them with sincerity, dignity, and honesty.

My subjects and my medium then, become intertwined, each with its own value and history. This mutual relationship is a driving force in my work.

  • Double Rainbow
    Double Rainbow
    acrylic on velvet, 36 x 60 inches, 2022
  • HI-TEK
    HI-TEK
    acrylic on velvet, 42 x 68 inches, 2022
  • Dean’s Shaved Ice
    Dean’s Shaved Ice
    acrylic on velvet, 20 x 6 inches
  • Sausage Truck
    Sausage Truck
    acrylic on velvet, 30 x 20 inches
  • Churros and Cotton Candy
    Churros and Cotton Candy
    acrylic on velvet, 48 x 42 inches
  • VACANCY
    VACANCY
    VACANCY, acrylic on velvet, 40 x 67 inches.
  • Bogie's
    Bogie's
    Bogie's, acrylic on velvet, 20 x 30 inches
  • Glass Upholstery
    Glass Upholstery
    Glass Upholstery, acrylic on velvet, 50 x 38 inches.
  • 5646 Hollywood Boulevard
    5646 Hollywood Boulevard
    5646 Hollywood Boulevard, acrylic on velvet, 40 x 30 inches. 2022
  • Julia in Green
    Julia in Green
    acrylic on velvet 14 x 11 inches. 2022

Velvet Paintings Gallery 3

One man's trash is another man's treasure - This often used phrase is one that truly resonates with me when considering my artwork.

I grew up in a flea market family; we supplemented much of our income through the flea market and yard sales trade. From a young age I learned to find value in places that others ignored. As an artist I want to provide a window for others to appreciate things they may often overlook or undervalue.

Velvet painting is a medium often written off as kitsch or lowbrow and looked down upon by the art world. I choose to address it with a reverence reserved for the finest linen. Velvet painting itself has a rich and interesting history, centuries old. My goal is to elevate this medium and make it worthy of galleries and museums.

The people that I paint, mostly family, friends, and neighbors, are often referred to as inner city hillbillies, or even worse, white trash. The places that I paint are usually seen as deteriorating slums or white trash ghettos. I see once proud neighborhoods and buildings, occupied by real people with real stories. I choose to paint them with sincerity, dignity, and honesty.

My subjects and my medium then, become intertwined, each with its own value and history. This mutual relationship is a driving force in my work.

  • Sisters
    Sisters
    acrylic on velvet, 20 x 30 inches. 2022
  • Rooftop at the Roosevelt
    Rooftop at the Roosevelt
    acrylic on velvet, 12 x 9 inches. 2022
  • The Pick-Up
    The Pick-Up
    acrylic on velvet 50 x 42 inches, 2018
  • Dialysis
    Dialysis
    acrylic on velvet, 56 x 40 inches
  • Blue light Special
    Blue light Special
    acrylic on velvet
  • Steak and Onions
    Steak and Onions
    acrylic on velvet, 48 x 36 inches.
  • Booper's Yard
    Booper's Yard
    acrylic on velvet, 108 x 42 inches
  • Booper's Yard (detail)
    Booper's Yard (detail)
    acrylic on velvet, 108 x 42 inches
  • Duke's Motel (Detail)
    Duke's Motel (Detail)
    acrylic on velvet, 108 x 42 inches
  • Duke's Motel.jpg
    Duke's Motel.jpg
    acrylic on velvet, 108 x 42 inches

Velvet Paintings Gallery 4

One man's trash is another mans treasure - This often used phrase is one that truly resonates with me when considering my artwork.

I grew up in a flea market family; that supplemented much of our income through the flea market and yard sales trade. From a young age I learned to find value in places that others ignored. As an artist I try to provide a window for others to appreciate things they may often overlook or undervalue.

Velvet painting is a medium often  looked down upon by the art world and written off as kitsch or lowbrow. I choose to address it with a reverence reserved for the finest linen. Velvet painting itself has a rich and interesting history, centuries old. My goal is to elevate this medium and make it worthy of galleries and museums.

The people that I paint, mostly family, friends, and neighbors, are often referred to as inner city hillbillies, or even worse, white trash. The places that I paint are usually seen as deteriorating slums or white trash ghettos. I see once proud neighborhoods and buildings, occupied by real people with real stories. I choose to paint them with sincerity, dignity, and honesty.

My subjects and my medium then, become intertwined, each with its own value and history. This mutual relationship is a driving force in my work.

  • 10:30 p.m.
    10:30 p.m.
    acrylic on velvet, 42 x 30 inches.
  • Booper's Table
    Booper's Table
    acrylic on velvet, 42 x 72 inches
  • Inheritance
    Inheritance
    acrylic on velvet, 60 x 42 inches
  • After the Hunt
    After the Hunt
    acrylic on velvet, 72 x 42 inches
  • Blue Star Motel
    Blue Star Motel
    acrylic on velvet, 40 x 24 inches
  • Donna's Kitchen
    Donna's Kitchen
    acrylic on velvet, 82 x 132 inches.
  • Exchange
    Exchange
    acrylic on velvet, 24 x 16 inches

Velvet Paintings Gallery 5

One man's trash is another man's treasure - This often used phrase is one that truly resonates with me when considering my artwork.

I grew up in a flea market family; we supplemented much of our income through the flea market and yard sales trade. From a young age I learned to find value in places that others ignored. As an artist I want to provide a window for others to appreciate things they may often overlook or undervalue.

Velvet painting is a medium often written off as kitsch or lowbrow and looked down upon by the art world. I choose to address it with a reverence reserved for the finest linen. Velvet painting itself has a rich and interesting history, centuries old. My goal is to elevate this medium and make it worthy of galleries and museums.

The people that I paint, mostly family, friends, and neighbors, are often referred to as inner city hillbillies, or even worse, white trash. The places that I paint are usually seen as deteriorating slums or white trash ghettos. I see once proud neighborhoods and buildings, occupied by real people with real stories. I choose to paint them with sincerity, dignity, and honesty.

My subjects and my medium then, become intertwined, each with its own value and history. This mutual relationship is a driving force in my work.

  • Refridgerator
    Refridgerator
    acrylic on velvet, 49 x 34 inches.
  • Laketrout
    Laketrout
    acrylic on velvet, 18 x 24 inches
  • Gluttony
    Gluttony
    acrylic on velvet, 32 x 24 inches
  • Beef Head with Toungue
    Beef Head with Toungue
    acrylic on velvet 24 x 22 inches
  • Potatoes and Onions
    Potatoes and Onions
    acrylic on velvet, 14 x 10 inches
  • Lobster (apologies to Jacob Lawrence)
    Lobster (apologies to Jacob Lawrence)
    acrylic on velvet 12 x 18 inches
  • Catfish and Hardhead
    Catfish and Hardhead
    acrylic on velvet, 16 x 20 inches.

Tony Shore

  • TONY SHORE : Paintings on Black Velvet
    Tony discusses his exhibition The Culture of Class: Charm City at the York College of Pennsylania's Marketview Galleries.

Street Fights

Theses are black velvet paintings based on fights and confrontations I have witnessed going up in Southwest Baltimore. This imagery, often haunts my memories and oftens finds ways to resurface as content in my work.
  • In the Alley
    In the Alley
    acrylic on velvet, 44 x 40 inches, 2015
  • Taking Your Shit
    Taking Your Shit
    acrylic on velvet, 36 x 52 inches, 2015
  • Taking Your Shit detail 2
    Taking Your Shit detail 2
  • Tracy Adkins Park
    Tracy Adkins Park
    acrylic on velvet, 60 x 42 inches.
  • Beatdown
    Beatdown
    acrylic on velvet, 42 x 54 inches.
  • Exit
    Exit
    acrylic on velvet, 36 x 26 inches.
  • Jump Out
    Jump Out
    acrylic on velvet,34 x 22 inches.

China paintings from Xinjiang Province

This series of paintings are based on experiences I had and the images I took in 2017, while exploring the city of Urumqi at night in the Xinxiang Province of China, an autonomous region. I was traveling with a group of American artists/ambassadors exhibiting our work in several museums in Beijing and along the Silk Road. I was priviledged to exhibit these paintings the following year at the China National Academy of Painting and the Fine Arts Museum of Urumqi.
  • Closing Time.jpg
    Closing Time.jpg
    acrylic on velvet, 30 x 44 inches, 2018
  • Lounge.jpg
    Lounge.jpg
    acrylic on velvet, 30 x 40 inches, 2018
  • Midnight Barber Shop.jpg
    Midnight Barber Shop.jpg
    acrylic on velvet, 35 x 26 inches, 2018

Gouache Studies

This is a small group of Gouache studies for larger possible paintings.
  • Stomped
    Stomped
    Gouache on illustration board, 10 x 14 inches, 2017
  • Closing Time (Gouache Study)
    Closing Time (Gouache Study)
    gouache on illustration board, 12 x 16 inches, 2017
  • Nikki.jpg
    Nikki.jpg
    gouache on illustration board, 16 x 10 inches, 2017

Installation shots

These are just some installation photos of my work from The Baltimore Museum of Art and the Baltimore School for the Arts
  • installation-1-bma-2.jpg
    installation-1-bma-2.jpg
  • installation-4-bma-2.jpg
    installation-4-bma-2.jpg
  • bsa-installation-shot1-copy.jpg
    bsa-installation-shot1-copy.jpg
  • Culture of Class: Charm City
    Culture of Class: Charm City
    The Culture of Class :Charm City Marketview Galleries York College of Pennsylvania 2019