Details:
① Artwork:
Deck
This painting depicts an elevated deck on a modern home as it peeks out from between a dense group of trees. McPhail’s deft paint handling and brushwork imbues the image with an energetic vitality, while the composition conveys a subtly voyeuristic tone—as if it is trying to provide a glimpse into a hidden space. This painting is exemplary of the artist’s dynamic balance between abstraction and representation.
Nick McPhail's work chronicles encounters between Los Angeles’ manufactured and natural environments in a combination of impressionistic and painterly flourishes. His compositions feature mid-century architecture among tropical plants and convey the seductive yet unknowable essence of the city.
Specs:
③ Artist:
Nick McPhail’s paintings chronicle encounters between the manufactured and natural environments of Los Angeles. His compositions contrast the city’s hard-edged architecture with its lush foliage and tropical plants. McPhail employs a refined combination of painterly and impressionistic flourishes to convey the seductive yet ultimately unknowable essence of the city.
BIO:
Nick McPhail lives and works in Los Angeles, California. In 2006, he received a BFA from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.
Solo exhibitions of McPhail’s work include: Windows at Ochi Projects in Los Angeles, California (2020); Lights at Untitled_1983 in Geneva, Switzerland (2019); and Pictures at Holiday in Los Angeles, California (2018).
Group exhibitions that have shown McPhail’s work include: Day Trip at Reynolds Gallery in Richmond, Virginia (2021); Match at Untitled_1983 in Geneva, Switzerland (2021); Inside/Outside at Circle Contemporary in Chicago, Illinois (2020); Chains at Central Park Gallery in Los Angeles, California (2019); Absolute Space at Ochi Gallery in Ketchum, Idaho (2019); Wholly Coast at Monte Vista Projects in Los Angeles, California (2019); Full House at Half Gallery LA in Los Angeles, California (2018); Soft Serve at Holiday in Los Angeles, California (2017); Self Reliance 2017 at Nowspace in Los Angeles, California (2017); and Recurrence at Fridman Gallery in New York City (2014).
In 2019, McPhail participated in residencies at Untitled_1983 in Geneva Switzerland and Ochi Gallery in Ketchum, Idaho. He also participated in the Holiday Forever Residency in Jackson, Wyoming.
