Areil in Candle Light by Douglas Leon Cartmel Large Oil Painting on Linen 2005

Douglas Leon Cartmel’s Ariel (in Candle Light) stands as the artist’s magnum opus—a monumental oil painting on linen measuring 81 x 50 inches. Executed in 2005, the work was conceived through a meticulous process: Cartmel photographed a model holding a candle just out of view, then translated the image into a grid of one-inch squares. Each square was painstakingly painted by hand, with every color individually mixed and applied without the aid of tape or mechanical tools.
From a distance, the composition radiates photorealistic clarity, evoking the quiet glow of candlelight. Yet as the viewer approaches, the image dissolves into a pixelated abstraction, revealing the tension between digital aesthetics and traditional craftsmanship. This duality—illusion and fragmentation, intimacy and distance—captures Cartmel’s exploration of perception and representation.
Ariel in Candlelight was sold through the legendary Marty Walker Gallery in Dallas, Texas, and exemplifies Cartmel’s mastery of process and vision. His works are held in esteemed collections, including the permanent collection of the Dallas Museum of Art, affirming his place in the canon of contemporary American painting.