Original Oil Paintings for Sale

Original oil paintings by Canadian artists, hand-painted on canvas, paperboard or artboard, signed, one of a kind, and built in layers you can see up close.

Why choose an oil painting?

Oil paint holds depth the way no other medium does. Artists build it in layers over weeks, and the result has a physical presence: light catches the ridges, colours shift as you move past it. That slow process is also why an oil usually costs more than an acrylic of the same size. Every oil painting here is an original on canvas or board, signed by the artist, never a reproduction.

How do you care for an original oil painting?

Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heat vents and bathrooms, and it will outlast the furniture around it. Dust it with a dry, soft brush or cloth; never use household cleaners or water on the paint surface. That is the whole routine. Each piece ships fully insured from our Vancouver studio with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Where does an oil painting work best?

Oil suits the rooms that need weight: an executive office, a dining room, a lobby, or the one wall in a house that every other piece of furniture points toward.

Placement is worth thinking about, because the surface changes with the light. An oil painting hung where the day moves across it looks different at nine in the morning and at eight at night, so it earns a wall you pass often rather than a corridor you only walk through. It also rewards standing close, which makes it a poor choice for a spot with a sofa or a desk pushed in front of it. This collection runs across genres: surrealist figurative work, contemporary portraiture, abstract expression and landscape, each piece hand-painted by a Canadian artist on canvas, paperboard or artboard. Interior designers reach for oil when a room needs gravitas, and the weight of the medium is part of what they are choosing.

Where the Silence Rests: Original Oil on Canvas by Nahira | VanArtHub, an original painting in the Oil Paintings collection
Where the Silence Rests: Original Oil on Canvas by Nahira | VanArtHub · $561.00

What makes oil paint the collector's medium?

Oil paint suspends pigment in slow-drying oil, usually linseed, and that slowness is exactly what artists prize: it lets them blend, rework, and refine a painting over days or weeks instead of minutes. Walk through any major museum and most of what hangs on the walls is oil on canvas. That is no accident. Oil holds a high load of pigment, so colors stay deep, and the surface can carry everything from thin transparent glazes to thick knife work that catches raking light. We will say it plainly: if you want one painting to hand down, oil is our first recommendation. Every oil here is hand-painted, signed, one of a kind, and shipped with a Certificate of Authenticity.

One honest caveat. Oil is not the best tool for every job. Razor-sharp graphic edges and flat fields of color come easier in acrylic, and no medium rescues a weak composition.

What does fat over lean mean in plain words?

Fat over lean means every new layer of oil paint should contain more oil than the layer beneath it, so the flexible upper layers never harden before the stiffer lower ones. Ignore the rule and the surface can crack years later as the layers pull against each other. In practice the artist begins with thin paint cut with solvent, then builds toward richer paint on top. It is a patience rule, and it explains the timeline below. If terms like glaze or impasto are new to you, our art glossary covers them in plain language.

StageWhat is happeningTypical wait
First thin layersLean paint blocks in the composition1 to 3 days to firm up
Main color layersRicher paint builds form and textureDays between sessions
Dry to the touchThe surface skin has hardened1 to 2 weeks after the last stroke
Fully curedThe paint film hardens all the way through6 to 12 months
Final varnishA protective coat evens out the sheenOnly after full curing
Riding Through Dreams: Original Oil on Canvas by Phaedra | VanArtHub, an original painting in the Oil Paintings collection
Riding Through Dreams: Original Oil on Canvas by Phaedra | VanArtHub · $1,084.00

Why do oil paintings cost more than other mediums?

Oil paintings cost more mainly because they take longer: the artist may wait days between sessions while layers firm up, so one canvas can occupy the easel for a month or more. Materials add to it. Artist-grade oil colors, especially the cadmium and cobalt pigments, are among the most expensive paints made, and good linen stretched by hand is not cheap either. This is why many of the oils in this collection sit in the above $1,000 range, while smaller works land under $700. You are paying for hours and materials, not for the word oil on a label.

How long does an oil painting last?

A well-made oil painting lasts for centuries; oils from the 1600s still hang in public galleries looking close to the way they left the studio. Keep the canvas out of direct sun and away from damp rooms and it will comfortably outlive its first owner. That permanence is part of why we back every piece with our Lifetime Trade-Back: bring it back any time for store credit toward another work. And a plain word about money. No honest gallery will promise a painting appreciates, and we will not either. Buy an oil because you want to live with it for decades. The centuries look after themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy an oil painting that is not finished yet?

Yes. Some oils are listed while they are still being painted, and you can follow the progress or send an offer before the piece is done at /collections/watch-art-being-made. Buyers do this when they want first claim on work by an artist they follow. You see stage photos as the layers go on, and the painting ships once it is dry enough to travel safely.

Which artists here work in oil?

The oil work in this collection comes from Phaedra, Nahira, Roshan, Melina Ghaemi and Ziba Vishteh, and a few pieces mix acrylic and oil on the same canvas. Each of them handles oil differently, from thin transparent layers to thick worked surfaces, so the medium label alone will not tell you how a piece feels in the room. Ask us for close ups of the surface first.

I move house every couple of years. Is an oil painting a bad idea?

It is fine if you keep the box. Oil on canvas travels well when it is packed with the face protected and the corners guarded, which is how we ship it, so store the original packaging flat in a closet and the piece will survive several moves. What ruins oils in a move is a canvas wrapped in a blanket. If it stops suiting your new home, Lifetime Trade-Back gives you store credit.

What is the largest oil painting here and what would it cost?

The largest oils reach about 120 cm wide and about 150 cm tall, and the top of this collection sits around $2,200, with the middle near $750. Small oils start near $89. Size drives the price more than anything else, because a large canvas means more surface, more paint and far more drying time between layers. For anything bigger than that, we would talk about a commission.

Can I return an oil painting if the smell of the paint bothers me at home?

Yes, that is a valid reason and you do not need to explain it. Any piece can go back within 14 days for a full refund and we pay the return shipping. Fresh oil does carry a faint linseed smell for a while, which most people stop noticing after a week or two and which is stronger in a small closed room. Try it in a ventilated space first.

Is an oil painting at the bottom of your price range worth buying?

Yes, if you accept that it will be small. Oils here start near $89, and at that price you get a real, signed, hand painted original close to 30 by 40 cm, not a reduced version of a bigger work. What you do not get is presence on a large wall. For a bedside wall, a shelf or a narrow hallway, it is a better buy than a large print.

Why do oil paintings cost more than acrylic paintings?

Oil paintings cost more mainly because of studio time: oil stays workable for days, so an artist builds a piece over weeks in layers that each need drying time. Oil paint and pigments also cost more per tube than acrylic. You are paying for the hours held in the surface, not for a fancier label on the listing.

How long does an oil painting take to dry, and can it ship wet?

Thin oil layers feel dry in two to twelve days, but the paint keeps hardening for months, and we never ship a piece until the surface is safe to wrap. That is why an oil painting sometimes leaves the studio a little later than an acrylic would. Shipping stays free and fully insured either way.

What does layering or glazing mean in an oil painting?

Glazing means brushing a thin transparent layer of oil colour over dry paint underneath, so light passes through and bounces back, which is why oils look deep instead of flat. Layering is the same idea repeated: block in the shapes, dry, glaze, dry, adjust. Each layer needs waiting time, and that is where the depth comes from.

How long will an oil painting last?

A well made oil painting on primed canvas lasts for centuries if you keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, which is why museum collections are full of them. Oil films can yellow slightly with age and may develop fine surface cracks. Neither ruins the piece. Steady temperature does more good than any product.

What size oil painting suits a dining room?

For a dining room, choose an oil about 90 to 140 cm (36 to 55 inches) wide on the longest clear wall, so it reads well for people who are sitting down. Hang the centre slightly lower than usual, around 140 cm, since diners are seated. Keep it away from the wall directly behind a serving station.

Can I hang an oil painting in a bathroom or kitchen?

We would not hang an oil painting in a bathroom, because steam and swinging humidity work on the canvas and the paint film over time. A kitchen is fine if the piece sits well away from the stove, since airborne grease settles on any surface and is hard to clean off paint. Hallways and living rooms are safer.

How can I tell if a painting is really oil and not acrylic?

Oil paint dries with a slight sheen and soft blended edges where colours melt into each other, while acrylic dries matte and holds harder edges. Oil surfaces stay slightly flexible and often show visible brush ridges that keep their shape. If you are unsure, ask us. Every listing states the medium, and the certificate records it.

Popular in oil:

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Original oil paintings bring rich colour, depth, and real brush texture that a print can never copy. Each oil painting here is a one-of-a-kind original, signed by the artist.

Frequently asked questions

Are these oil paintings original?

Yes. Every one is an original, hand-painted work, signed and sold with a Certificate of Authenticity. We never sell prints or reproductions.

How do I care for an oil painting?

Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from high humidity. Dust it gently with a dry, soft cloth. Never use water or cleaning sprays on the paint.

Can I commission an oil painting in a custom size?

Yes. Tell us the size, colours, and style you want and we brief the right artist. Start on our collaboration page.