DBIA - Wally Osteen

Surfing in the Key of Sea, 2021
Oil on fiberglass

Wally Osteen
Ormond Beach, Florida
Click on the image above to see a larger view.

Wally Osteen is a mostly self-taught oil painter. His work is inspired by 35 years of living on and observing the timeless old Florida beauty of the Tomoka River and 55 years of surfing along the beaches and inlets of Florida’s east coast.

His process for studio painting is time consuming. It consists of applying multiple layers of thick and thin oil paint to the canvas over a period of several months. This slower pace allows the painting to develop and evolve beyond his initial concept into something that is hopefully deeper and more meaningful, thus becoming a sort of collaboration between the painting and the painter. The final goal is the creation of an image the viewer will find both interesting and compelling.

Osteen’s paintings and prints are highly prized by surfers and non-surfers alike and may be found in many private and public collections.