“Still Lake in Graylight” — 36×25 Oil on Paper by Jim Marlette | Minimalist Meditative Landscape

This 36×25 original oil on paper by American minimalist painter Jim Marlette is a serene meditation in tone and atmosphere. Soft gradients of gray, lavender, and slate drift across layered mountain forms, reflected like mist in a still lake. Marlette’s signature oil-on-paper technique creates ethereal transparency and a deeply calming spatial rhythm, rooted in his lifelong study of meditation and martial arts.

Acquired in New York City and signed by the artist, the piece exemplifies Marlette’s most sought-after work—quiet, contemplative landscapes executed with masterful restraint. Ideal for collectors of minimalism, tonalist revival, Zen-inspired art, and contemporary atmospheric landscapes.

DETAILED ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Jim Marlette (American, b. 1950)
Untitled Minimalist Mountain Lake Landscape
Oil on Paper | 36 × 25 in. | Signed “Jim Marlette”
Acquired in New York City

This 36×25 oil on paper composition by Jim Marlette is a striking example of his mature minimalist landscape style—defined by serene tonal gradients, layered atmospheric depth, and an emphasis on meditative stillness.

Rendered in a limited palette of silvery grays, muted slate, soft fog-lavender, and pale cloud-white, the painting depicts a tranquil mountain lake framed by receding ridgelines. These horizontal forms dissolve into one another through suave transitions, perfectly echoing Marlette’s ethos of calm, breath-based, spatial harmony—an approach influenced by his decades-long study of meditation and martial arts.

The surface of the painting reveals Marlette’s signature method:

• remarkably smooth oil handling that reads almost like watercolor,

• ultra-thin, translucent glazes layered to create “mist-within-mist,”

• horizontally drifting strokes that guide the eye in a rhythmic, contemplative flow,

• a mirror-like lower register where the mountains dissolve into lake reflections, creating a perfect visual mantra of stillness.

This work is characteristic of Marlette’s most refined period (mid-1970s through late 1980s), when he shifted fully into fine art after exploring jewelry design, leatherwork, furniture, and geometric acrylic painting. His oil-on-paper landscapes became recognizable for their ethereal softness, minimalist composition, and meditative spatial quietude.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — JIM MARLETTE (Born 1950, Pennsylvania)

American Minimalist Landscape Painter | Meditation-Influenced Artist

Early Life & Formation
Born in Pennsylvania in 1950, Jim Marlette grew up surrounded by creativity—his father was a draftsman and his brothers worked in oil painting. This artistic household nurtured his early interest in form, composition, and materiality. Before devoting himself fully to fine art, Marlette pursued several craft disciplines, including:

• jewelry design,

• leather craftsmanship,

• furniture making,

• geometric abstract acrylic painting.

Each of these fields contributed to his later precision, balance, and sensitivity to material.

Spiritual & Physical Training
A defining influence in Marlette’s art is his deep training in:

• meditation,

• martial arts,

• breathwork,

• mind-body disciplines.

These disciplines shaped the “internal quietness” of his paintings more profoundly than any external artistic movement. Marlette often described his work as a reflection of “the stillness within motion.”

Transition to Fine Art
By the 1970s he had committed himself completely to painting, developing specialized oil-on-paper techniques that allowed for fluidity and translucency not easily achieved in traditional oil methods. He pioneered a hybrid technique whereby:

• oil paint behaves like ink wash,

• brushwork becomes gestural yet controlled,

• layers build into atmospheric spaces rather than textures.

Style & Artistic Position
Marlette is recognized for:

• minimalist landscapes,

• fog-like gradients,

• soft mountain silhouettes,

• meditative compositions,

• harmonious color fields.

His work aligns loosely with American West Coast minimalism and tonalist revival artists, but remains distinct due to his spiritual practice.

Exhibitions & Recognition
Marlette’s paintings were shown in galleries across the United States, earning him a strong collector following in:

• New York

• California

• Pennsylvania

• Santa Fe

• Seattle

His serene landscapes are especially valued in interior-focused collections and by collectors of meditative, Zen-inspired, and minimalist art.

Jim Marlette (American, b. 1950)
Still Lake in Graylight
Oil on Paper | 36×25 in. | Signed
Provenance: Acquired in New York City
Minimalist tonal landscape with layered mountain forms and mist-like reflections. Excellent condition.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

For Fine Art Appraisal / Insurance / Gallery Documentation

Artist: Jim Marlette (American, b. 1950)
Title: Still Lake in Graylight (assigned catalog title)
Medium: Oil on Paper
Dimensions: 36 × 25 in.
Signature: Lower right “Jim Marlette”
Date: Likely 1970s–1980s (mature period)
Provenance: Acquired in New York City; current owner Artfind Gallery, Washington DC

Authenticity:
Signature and technique consistent with documented Marlette works; no evidence of reproduction or later attribution.

Condition:
Excellent vintage condition; smooth, clean paper surface; no tears, dents, discoloration, or warping.

PROVENANCE CHAIN

1. Artist: Jim Marlette (American, b. 1950)

2. Unknown Original Gallery or Artist Release (likely East Coast)

3. Acquired in New York City (dealer or gallery inventory)

4. Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington DC