When I made these three paintings, I was thinking about the iconography of the Chicano neighborhoods in Los Angeles, California.
Color is very influential on my painting practice. My process consists of referencing black and white imagery from past neighborhood in Los Angeles, California whilst painting the colors from my memory. The colors in the work have been referred to as nostalgic, sun bleached, and faded, as certain memories are.
Bert’s Liquor Series
In further development of my biographical landscape paintings, I have focused on one location in Los Angeles, Bert’s Liquor Store. Located on York Boulevard and Avenue 46, Bert’s Liquor Store encapsulates much of Los Angeles’ dingy and strange side. Though the building is barred and run-down, much business thrives at this location amongst other liquor stores similar to Bert’s. Focusing on the architecture and odd human presence, I interpret the building from different angles at different times of the day. Offsetting a strange atmosphere with the colors and painting style, I engage this peculiar building in a sequential context.
All paintings in this series are Acrylic on Panel, 22 x 30’.
The York Boulevard Series
In an exploration of my relationship to my past, I began a painting series as a of landscapes set in Los Angeles. Focusing on public places in Chicano neighborhoods, I painted from both photograph and memory. This series is a development that I will continue in my painting praxis.
