Update from the Artist
Sockeye, 2022.
5 x 7 in. Oil on paper.
This above piece of art, titled Sockeye, 2022, is one of four new paintings included in an upcoming group show at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA. Image previews of the other three paintings are also pictured below.
While completing some new paintings, I had the time to reflect on the understated beauty of working small. I come from a tradition of oil painting influenced by epic narrative paintings, grand odes to religious ideals, and sublime showcases of paint on canvas. Especially in the American art world, we’ve seen a trend towards working big ever since the epic scale of the Abstract Expressionists in the post-war era.
Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE working big. Moving my entire arm to make one brushstroke can turn painting into a lyrical dance. The only problem is that the resources needed to paint big do not come easy. Most of my large scale works have to be completed outdoors, en plein aire. And in this summer heat? Forget about it.
The small works featured in an upcoming show highlight the power in intimacy, in careful looking. Like taking a walk through a garden and noticing the little things—a katydid wrapped around garden mesh, green onion seeds falling from their desiccated flowers, or a web spider wrapping up a recently caught bee.
Here’s to working small and noticing little natural wonders.
