Artist Jake Sheiner’s recent works depict scenes of suburban isolation, set against the backdrop of his home city of Los Angeles. Intimate in size, the acrylic paintings explore liminal spaces — landscapes existing at the transition between two other locations or states of being. “I am interested in how these quiet spaces can be perceived as abandoned, or frozen in time, and how this slightly unsettling feeling is also familiar in our minds,” he explains. “I believe this nostalgia for a place the viewer feels a connection to, but has never been, is partly due to the ubiquitousness of the LA landscape in pop culture.”

Sheiner’s paintings are a visual diary of sorts, reflecting his life in Los Angeles by capturing scenes he has physically encountered, either by chance or intentionally. “They are both voyeuristic and autobiographical in nature,” he says. “Much like the practices of Edward Hopper, Fairfield Porter, David Hockney, or Lois Dodd, I am constantly searching for moments worthy of investigation through the act of painting. The body of work shows that underneath the beauty, there is often an undercurrent of isolation and loneliness, obfuscated by the near perfect weather, and the fear of presenting a less than ideal self.”

See more from Jake Sheiner below!