Andrew Holmquist

Courtesy of the artist and SECRIST | BEACH

Andrew Holmquist (b. 1985, Northfield, MN; lives in Los Angeles, CA) describes painting as “the closest thing to magic that exists in the real world. In painting I’m able to create space, shift time, and defy gravity—all with the flick of a wrist. In painting I can conjure the hidden worlds that dwell within me and pour them out for all to see.” Holmquist created a series of works featuring trees, like this one, that he captured in plein air studies at sites around Los Angeles, from quiet parks to high-traffic street corners. Rather than faithfully rendering the tree’s likeness, the artist aims to capture the experience of seeing a tree for the first time. In 2017, Holmquist's work was included in the MCA exhibition Eternal Youth, and his work is in the permanent collections of the Rachofsky Collection at the Warehouse, Dallas; Illinois State Museum, Springfield; Providence College Collection, RI; the University of Chicago; the BMO Harris Art Collection, Chicago; and Fidelity Art Collection, Boston, among others.