Paintings > Familiar

The Approach
oil on wood panel
40 x 40 inches
2024
$5400
After Hours
oil on wood panel
12 x 12 inches
2023
$1650
Nightfall
oil on wood panel
24 x 24 inches
2024
If You Were Here
oil on wood panel
24 x 24 inches
2016
Still Water
oil on wood panel
12 x 12 inches
2023
Radiance
oil on wood panel
48 x 48 inches
2024
January
oil on wood panel
16 x 16 inches
2016
Tomorrow
oil on wood panel
16 x 16 inches
2017

Familiar

Los Angeles is singular in the distinct visual imagery that makes up the city. Yet, it is also ubiquitous, as the visual elements that make up the city are so deeply ingrained in the collective perception of Southern California.

This body of work references the tension between the specific and the universal, using the power of the visual language of Southern California, where recurring motifs create a sense of familiarity for locals, as well as in the imagination of society at large.

My paintings begin as a beautiful moment from my life, captured with my phone. Photography is akin to sketching for me. The paintings come together over time, with each painting consisting of many layers. The bottom layers often contain thick, opaque applications of paint, with transparent glazes making up the final layers. I spend a lot of time mixing paint, as color is one of the most important elements of my work. I use color to convey the emotions I felt when I saw the image, and the passion I feel when I paint. I think of my work as “emotional realism.”

These paintings, titled “Familiar,” speak to the beauty of the unique, and universally recognizable, landscapes of Los Angeles and Southern California.