Original oil on canvas paintings are Kis-Lev's finest works of art. painted on high quality canvas, using the best oil paints, these paintings are vibrant and majestic. All paintings are painted first with a thick layer of black paint, creating the base for the colors to come. Always interested in expanding his technique and ways of expression, Kis-Lev enjoys taking on commissions for future oil on canvas paintings. Oil on canvas paintings painted in commission always take several months up to a year for the artist to conceive. The costumers commissioning the painting are not obliged to purchase the final result, which offers the artist the full artistic freedom he insists on having when creating a new masterpiece.

Process

Kis-Lev's oil on canvas paintings are painted on high quality canvas, either made of cotton or of linen. Thick layer of black paint is applied to the canvas as a base layer, onto which the artist begins creating the image. Kis-Lev said once in an interview that he feels that working on the black background, where each brushstroke is bringing more light into the painting, reminds him of what Michelangelo said about "'liberating the figure imprisoned in the marble'".

Value

Whereas in recent years the value of the artist's mixed media paintings as well as the giclée prints have gone up dramatically in auctions, the increase in the value of Kis-Lev's oil on canvas is unparalleled. For example, in 2008 a relatively small painting sold for 1000 USD, selling for four times that original price in 2012, as can be seen with the small painting Love for Two, for instance. "It is highly encouraging," says the artist, "yet I do not want people to buy my paintings merely as an investment; I want for them to buy a painting because it speaks to them, to their heart." Nevertheless, the rise in Kis-Lev's oil on canvas paintings have encouraged collectors to buy primarily his oil on canvas paintings, rather than the mixed media paintings or the giclee, both of which include a printing process.

Commissions

Much like the great masters such as Rembrandt, Da-Vinci and Monet, Kis-Lev enjoys taking on commissions for future paintings. The artist, however, insists on never painting the same painting twice, and always alternates something. For example, London-based collectors Howard and Samantha Armstrong met the artist following their interest in the triptych Tel Aviv 100. Their meeting and following discussions over the internet led to the birth of the triptych Tel Aviv Dream. The artist said that he had always wanted to paint such a large and message-filled painting and just looked for the right opportunity to do so, and that he was honored to paint in when having the Armstrongs in mind.

Oil on canvas paintings painted in commission always take several months up to a year for the artist to conceive. The costumers commissioning the painting are not obliged to purchase the final result, which enables the artist the artistic freedom he insists on having when creating a new masterpiece.