Thomas Stiltz is concerned with turning everyday events into special moments. His paintings capture the pleasures of taste, sight, sound, smell and taste of fine wines and liquors, aged cheese, fresh fruit, flowers and crystal stemware -- objects that suggest the most pleasurable moments enjoyed by great friends, close family members or romantic couples.
Stiltz organizes objects in a tightly composed arrangement that is unified by one dominant color and a distinctive pattern of light and shadow. A strong light source from a spotlight of an open window cuts across the arrangement of objects. There is an overriding warm connection to the colors of wines and liquors -- ambers, reds, orange, burgundy, golds -- that shows his passion for the subject matter. He aims to capture the same passion that his collectors and commission clients have for their favorite beverage.
His paintings are created using many layers or glazes of oil paint over several weeks to build up the paint surface. The artwork is then sprayed with layers of varnish, resulting in a painting that takes on the quality of a richly colored photograph.