“When I was 9 years old, the house I lived in caught fire and burned down to the ground. I lost every object I loved. Now I paint ordinary objects with love and reverence. Painting objects makes them permanent and unchanging. Painted objects will last longer than actual objects.” - Ray Kleinlein Focusing on isolated, everyday objects, Kleinlein achieves impressive trompe l’oeil effect, emphasizing his fascination with simple objects and his ability to produce stunning realism. Though trompe l’oeil, Kleinlein purposely leaves brushstrokes to show his physical handling of the paint and evidence of the human hand. Kleinlein elevates mundane subjects with his exceptional skill, excellent pictorial design, and wry wit. He said: “The subjects are seemingly unremarkable objects which we encounter daily but tend not to notice. My paintings celebrate the simple act of looking at the overlooked and the pleasures derived from seeing ordinary things in an extraordinary way. As affirmations of the serene beauty of humble objects, the paintings enthusiastically embrace human culture and the material world while suggesting a life-affirming optimism, reverence, and underlying spirituality.”