Time Warp: Original Oil Paintings Inspired by Movies from the 70’s and 80’s

Let’s do the Time Warp again…

I’m excited to show you the first paintings from my new series based on films from my youth. Creating the work gave me the fun opportunity to tap into my personal nostalgia of different movies from the past, triggering old memories and reflections on specific times in my life. I can vividly remember the first time watching each of these movies in the theatre and the very next day quoting lines from the films with my friends. You can only imagine my excitement when my dad got a cable box, and we’d get to watch obscure films on Z Channel or late-night KTLA. Growing up in Los Angeles, the world of movies was all around me. They shaped me.

Everyone has those movies that they rewatch again and again. Comfort movies that are both familiar and new. I’m curious about what draws me to certain movies in particular. It’s as much a return to my childhood as it is an appreciation of the films themselves. Some movies hold up better than others, but that doesn’t change how I felt about them in the past. We all like certain movies that other people might call “bad.” As adults, we long for adventure, magic, and fun. Movies offer a return to our youth and the freedom of our childhood imaginations. We never grow out of this, and we shouldn’t. Movies and stories are an escape from our world and a part of our world. We can live in someone else’s imagination. And maybe we can bring some of that magic into our lives once the film ends.

In my paintings, I focus on movie images that are iconic but not necessarily obvious. Single frames. Moments in time. I often intentionally paint supporting characters instead of main characters. Only people who’ve seen the film a few times would recognize the motorcycle guy and his monkey from Raiders. At the same time, the compositions of the images have a classic quality that makes the paintings feel classic and older even than the films themselves.

I hope you enjoy this time warp into the past. Let’s do it again sometime.