"Inheritance of Traits" Original Abstract Painting

Size: 14 x 11 inches x 1.5"deep

Medium:  Oil on Canvas

Artist Signature: On the bottom left

Artist: Hand painted by San Francisco Bay Area artist John Osgood

Year: 2025 

John's Inspiration

Growing up, if my dad was in the garage working on a project, chances were I was right there with him. He’d give me small tasks like cutting a piece of wood in half, hammering in nails, always including me in the process. As I got older, he taught me how to use different tools, maintain them, and properly store everything in his workspace.

When it became clear that art would be my path, my dad showed me how to build frames and stretch canvases. Later, when Michele and I opened our gallery in Seattle, he was still guiding me and teaching me how to construct wall frames for sheetrock or how to make a door jamb perfectly plumb.

Now, when I’m in my own garage, working on my latest project, using the tools I inherited from him, I like to think he’s still there watching, guiding, talking to me. This piece was created with my dad in mind, a tribute to the years of woodworking knowledge and problem-solving skills he passed down. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. I’m grateful for every lesson, every moment, and for the lasting imprint he left on my life.