{"id":775,"date":"2025-06-21T00:27:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T00:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/775\/"},"modified":"2025-06-21T00:27:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T00:27:13","slug":"seth-armstrong-sets-the-hills-of-los-angeles-aglow-in-vibrant-oil-paintings-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/775\/","title":{"rendered":"Seth Armstrong Sets the Hills of Los Angeles Aglow in Vibrant Oil Paintings \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Capturing the magical glow of the golden hour, the rich blue of early evening, and the butter-yellow of morning, Seth Armstrong<\/a> transports us to Southern California in his ongoing series of oil paintings<\/a>. Bright bungalows, electrical lines, palm trees, and shrubs dot the foothills that shape Los Angeles, with the San Gabriel Mountains often rising in the background.<\/p>\n

Greenery plays a central role in Armstrong\u2019s suburban portraits, revealing and concealing roads, homes, and infrastructure\u2014evocative of the city\u2019s reputation as a place where any dream seems possible. Yet its sprawling neighborhoods, immense wealth, and locus of the entertainment industry tend to obscure undercurrents brought to light by recent immigration protests or last year\u2019s devastating wildfires.<\/p>\n

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Next month, Armstrong opens a solo exhibition titled Subrosa at Unit London<\/a>, borrowing from the Latin phrase \u201cunder the rose,\u201d signifying secrecy or discretion. The artist draws upon his own observations of his L.A. neighborhood during long, early-morning walks with his young son.<\/p>\n

Viewed from a distance, the hillside neighborhoods appear idyllic, even paradisiacal, but he hints at out-of-frame elements in this city constantly in flux: simmering socio-political tensions, scorched mountains and fire-leveled homes, and palpable economic disparities. Sometimes people are present, half-hidden in windows and often only noticeable when viewed up-close. \u201cThere\u2019s substance behind the forms,\u201d Armstrong says. \u201cSometimes you get a peek inside. Sometimes you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Subrosa runs from July 9 to August 17. See more on Armstrong\u2019s website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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