Paintings Capture The Essence of The City

Elliot Appel, elliotappelpaints.com, creates paintings that capture often overlooked elements of city life. His diverse subjects include old and colorful storefronts and doorways, window reflections, antiquated signage, and vibrant street scenes.

He combines his use of deep perspective, strong attention to detail and dynamic lighting to bring his subjects to life.

Elliot has developed a loyal following within the New York metropolitan area and beyond. He also creates many works of art on commission.

Banner image: Detail of “Dad Up”, acrylic, 18″ x 24″

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE IMAGES WITHOUT THE ARTIST’S PERMISSION.

Blessings, acrylic on canvas, 12″ x 12″

Elliot calls our attention to stimulating visual sites that surround us, as he succeeds in his desire to capture “details of everyday life that people may not notice or take for granted as they rush from place to place.”

His paintings remind us of the iconic images of American artists like John Sloan or Edward Hopper, who were influenced by film, and whose crisp, light-flooded interpretations on modern realistic street scenes inspired American film sets for decades.

Corner Drug Store, acrylic on canvas, 18″ x 14″

Elliot has exhibited his work at The Painting Center in Chelsea, Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island, the Monmouth Museum and the Ridgewood Art League. In recent years, he has had one person shows at the Hoboken Historical Museum and the Watchung Arts Center in New Jersey.

The artist was awarded First Place in Colors Of Humanity ‘Wet Paint’ online exhibition. His work has also been selected for an exhibit organized by the National Oil And Acrylics Painters Society. The Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts chose Elliot’s art for their 112th Annual Juried Exhibition.

Dad Up, acrylic on canvas, 18″ x 24″

Elliot’s painting “Blessings”, which is shown on this page, was selected for “The Healing Power of Color” 2025 Invitational Exhibition presented on The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS website, an initiative of Manhattan Arts International. One of his paintings was also selected for “The Healing Power of Color” 2024 Invitational Exhibition.

In 2023 one of Elliot’s paintings was juried into “The Healing Power of Art: Love, Peace, Unity & Hope” online exhibition which was also presented by The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS.

Quiet Afternoon On Commerce Street, acrylic on canvas, 20″ x 16″

Born in New York City in 1952 Elliot has been painting for almost 40 years. As a child, he was fascinated by film and frequently sketched pictures of the celebrities he admired to see if he could capture a likeness. He continued sketching throughout high school, and his first major encouragement was finishing second place in a poster-making contest for a play that was to be performed at his school.

Subsequently, he enrolled in New York’s City College, registering for a degree in liberal arts but left college after one year to travel in Israel. In between jobs, the artist  spent the next few years traveling through Europe, fortifying the education he’d begun with trips to museums in Paris, Geneva, Florence, Milan, Venice, Rome and Athens. He spent time in public squares, sketching the scenes around him, preparing the groundwork for future paintings.

Porto Rico On Bleecker, acrylic on canvas, 12″ x 12″

In his early twenties, Elliot sold the first of many paintings in the photo realistic style that has come to define his art, a cathedral in acrylic paint, based on a photo from a magazine.

Elliot is currently an exhibiting member of Pro Arts Jersey City as well as the SHIM Art Network on Artsy.net. He is the recipient of several awards and has developed a loyal following within the tri-state area.

He is also featured in the article “See How Art Transforms Room”.

Visit Elliot Appel’s website: ElliotAppelPaints.com

Join Elliot Appel on Social Media
Facebook.com/appeldab370
Linkedin.com/in/elliot-appel-947b1a37
X.com/appelpaints
Instagram @elliotappel