“She Buried Deep”
“She Buried Deep” 48 x 36 oil on canvas
Renaissance Black Series 1997-1998
In 1997 I discovered a technique used during the renaissance where they used many layers of paint to build a transparent, luminous black instead of an opaque, flat black. The colors used were yellow ochre, burnt sienna, terre verte green, alizarin crimson, prussian blue and aureolin yellow. In order to learn more about glazing and building a luminous dark I reduced my palette to these 6 colors. You can see the luminosity coming from the back instead of light highlights painted over the top.
Last week to see “Modulation: A 30 year Survey”
Sept 6th thru Oct 4th, 2025
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles,, CA 90034
The show chronicles 30 years of my need to explore and learn materials and techniques as I seek personal forms and compositions.
“The Rose”
“The Rose” 24×21 acrylic on panel 2025
“From Sea To Sky—The Blue Axis”
Bluerider ART LA • Manhattan Beach Inaugural Exhibition
Exhibition Dates:
September 20 – November 23, 2025
Bluerider ART LA • Manhattan Beach
1030 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 10:00 am – 6:30 pm
“A Preference to be Entitled”
“A Preference to be Entitled” 72×45 Oil on canvas 2006
From my “City or Nature; Longing and Need” (2004-2006) series where I juxtapose angular cityscapes with the curves of natural river rocks.
The feeling of support contrasted with the appearance of instability
“Modulation: A 30 year Survey”
Sept 6th thru Oct 4th, 2025
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles,, CA 90034
The show chronicles 30 years of my need to explore and learn materials and techniques as I seek personal forms and compositions.
Bluerider Art Sept 20 4-7pm
Bluerider ART LA | New US Flagship
Bluerider ART was founded in 2013 in Taipei city by tech entrepreneur Elsa Wang. With a strategic presence across three continents—Europe, the Americas, and Asia—the gallery operates long-term, self-managed spaces in key cities including London·Mayfair, Los Angeles· Manhattan Beach, Taipei·Dunhua and Shanghai·The Bund.
Bluerider ART proudly announces the grand opening of its new U.S. flagship with the inaugural exhibition From Sea To Sky — The Blue Axis, opening on September 20, 2025. Featuring the works of 16 internationally acclaimed artists, this exhibition converge along the Blue Axis in a powerful presentation of global creativity.
Participating Artists：
Willi Siber (Germany)
Yang Mao-Lin (Taiwan)
Josep Riera i Aragó (Spain)
Cao Jigang (China)
Carol Prusa (USA)
Nick Veasey (UK)
Bryan Ida (USA)
MARCK (Switzerland)
Pascal Dombis (France)
Thierry Feuz (Switzerland)
Sven Drühl (Germany)
Susanne Kühn (Germany)
Ruprecht von Kaufmann (Germany)
Chang Ling (Taiwan)
Jan Kaláb (Czech Republic)
Ramiro Smith Estrada (Argentina)
From Sea To Sky—The Blue Axis
Bluerider ART LA • Manhattan Beach Inaugural Exhibition
Press Preview & Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 4:00–7:00 pm
(public welcome)
Exhibition Dates:
September 20 – November 23, 2025
Bluerider ART LA • Manhattan Beach
1030 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 10:00 am – 6:30 pm
“Modulation: A 30 year Survey”
“Modulation: A 30 year Survey”
Sept 6th thru Oct 4th, 2025
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles,, CA 90034
The show chronicles 30 years of my need to explore and learn materials and techniques as I seek personal forms and compositions on my own terms.
Included are paintings from several series (1995-2025) that explore light, dark, and color; memory, time, and identity; marginalized communities; and humankind’s relationship to the natural environment through figurative and abstract imagery.
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“Christine”
“Christine” 60 x 37 ink on panel 2025
When the United States Constitution was signed only white, male, land owners were given the right to vote. The battle for voting rights began from the beginning.
In 1776 John Adams wrote a letter to James Sullivan to argue against extending voting rights to women. Adams believed that allowing women to vote would open a dangerous and endless source of controversy. The text is that letter.
On view at the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs’ Independent Master Artist Project (COLA IMAP) 2025 show at
LA Municipal Art Gallery 4800 Hollywood Blvd
Exhibition Dates: July 17 – August 30
I will be there tomorrow after 2pm
“Chumahan” 60 x 37
“Chumahan” 59×37 ink on panel
Chumahan is a member of the Oneida Nation from New York State. Part of the Iroquois Indian Confederacy which was a group of six Indian nations held together under one government. The Oneida were one of the key allies of the Colonials during the revolutionary War. Soon After the War ended the colonialist started dispossessing the Oneida of the Land in New York.
The text used is The Oneida Fort Schuyler Treaty which was a contract between the Oneida Nation of Indians and the State of New York signed in 1788 that ceded all The Oneidas land to the State of New York in perpetuity.
On view at the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs’ Independent Master Artist Project (COLA IMAP) 2025 show at
LA Municipal Art Gallery 4800 Hollywood Blvd
Exhibition Dates: July 17 – August 30
Cityscape show
This is “Day and Night” from 2014, when I was working on a city series based on memories and recollections. It is included in the cityscape show at
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd
opening July 12, from 3pm to 6pm and runs to August 23.
“Jimmy” 60 x 37 ink on panel
“Jimmy” 60 x 37 ink on panel 2025
In 1929 the border between the US and Mexico was closed. prior to that there had been no rules or regulations regarding border crossing. In the early 1930’s the border closure was enforced as Mexicans were blamed for taking jobs during the Great Depression. In August 1943, to aid the war effort, an agreement between the U.S. and Mexican governments permitted Mexican citizens to take temporary agricultural work in the United States. This program was called the Bracero Program and continued until 1964 when the US stopped issuing work visas.
For Jimmy’s portrait I used the text from US code 1325 from 1929 that made crossing the US Mexican border illegal. Jimmy’s family moved to South Los Angeles in 1960 as part of the Bracero work visa program.
This will be part of the LA Department of Cultural Affairs’ Independent Master Artist Project (COLA IMAP) show at the LA Municipal Art Gallery. 4800 Hollywood Blvd.
The show runs from July 17 to August 30
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 19, 4–6 PM
Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant
I am honored and grateful to be a recipient of the Individual Support Grant from the Adolf and Esther Gottlieb Foundation.
Their support is a meaningful reminder of why I keep showing up to do the work. Thank you for investing in artists and making it possible for us to continue our work with focus and integrity.
Forest Lawn Museum Show
I am honored to be included in this wonderful group show titled: “Persona: Exploring Self-Portraiture” at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale, CA.
It features the work of more than 20 contemporary artists as well as historical self-portraits, spanning over 125 years. The exhibition probes the expanses of self-portraiture and examines the concept of visual representations of the self. “Persona” features paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, fused glass, digital art, textile art, illustrations, and more.
The exhibition will be on view at the Forest Lawn Museum from April 26-August 10, 2025. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 26, from 5:00 PM-7:30 PM at the Forest Lawn Museum. The event will feature live music by the Pocket Quintet and complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
The exhibition also includes the work of Christen Austin, Alison Blickle, Brad Donenfeld, Shivy Galtere, Andy Gersh, Patrick Hruby, Janna Ireland, Maren H. Jensen, Jordan Kay, Ruthy Kim, Michelle Kingdom, Huntz Liu, Eric Merrell, Elisabeth Pollnow, Narcissus Quagliata, Man Ray, Ramona Rosales, Semra Sevin, Christopher Slatoff, Jawsh Smyth, Tom Wilson, Andy Warhol, and Mika Yokota.
“Self Portrait”
35 x47 ink on panel, 2024
Both of my U.S. born parents and their families were imprisoned during WWII when people of Japanese ancestry were evacuated from the west coast of the United States and put in one of 10 internment camps far from the coast.
The text used to render my self-portrait is the Immigration Act 1924 that excluded all asians from immigration to the US. The late 19th century saw the rise of “Yellow peril” the perceived threat of Asian societies replacing the American identity which led to a series of immigration acts in the late 1800s early 1900s. There was the Chinese exclusion act of 1882, the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907, the Immigration Act of 1917, and the Immigration act of 1924 that were aimed exclusively at Asian immigration.
I have been engaged in a series of ink on panel portraits titled “con.Text” that examines historic events in relation to the current social and political climate and raises awareness of past abuse and injustice by a government against a targeted minority group.
I research and reference text from government documents and use the words as my mark to render each person with the very words that affect them. Using words as a building block transforms them from a label to a broader gesture that is used to define a new visual language of strength and beauty.
COLA-IMAP
I am honored to be included in the 2024/25 City of Los Angeles Independent Master Artist Project (COLA-IMAP) initiative. This years fellows include design and visual artists Carmen Argote, Olivia Booth, Bryan Ida, Flora Kao, and Jemima Wyman and literary and performing artists Charles Jensen, Yozmit The DogStar, Azar Lawrence, and Wilfried Souly,.
COLA-IMAP artists will receive a grant from the City of Los Angeles to support the production of original works. Works by the visual design artists will premiere at DCA’s Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) in the Spring of 2025, and the literary and performing artists will present their work in partnership with Grand Performances in the Summer of 2025 as part of the 28th edition of DCA’s COLA-IMAP annual initiative.
“Washington Blvd” 42×42
I have a piece in this annual group show at BILLIS WILLIAMS GALLERY
Opening Saturday July 20th, 4-7pm
2716 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
“Washington Blvd” 42×42 acrylic and epoxy on panel 2014
In this series from 2014 I was exploring the idea of memory and it’s relationship to our feeling of place. We have strong emotional memories tied to certain locations as well as small recollections based on glimpses of areas we have passed by. Our memory is a reduction and refinement of our experience and I tried to collect and assemble an assortment of thoughts and impressions and distill them to their essence and lay down the elements in paint.
I developed a technique that layers paint inside thick layers of epoxy, essentially isolating each layer from one another. This physical separation gives a sense of depth, volume and detachment reflecting on the idea of memory and its many layers.
“The Depths” 24×21
“The Depths” 24×21 acrylic on panel 2024
Music is revealed over time. paintings are there all at once.
“Liquid” 36 x 30
“Liquid” 36 x 30 acrylic on panel 2024
I was always intrigued by the limitations of the visible color spectrum and how it relates to the audible spectrum of sound waves. In sound formation there is the fundamental tone one hears in addition there are overtones or harmonics that are less audible yet contribute to the overall sound one perceives. Here I am burying the initial gesture with subtle overtones of transparent color.
Unending variation within physical limitations.
“City”16 x 20
“City”16 x 20 acrylic and Ink on panel 2024
Finding depth and volume using line and color
“Mojave 2024”
24 x 24 acrylic and epoxy on panel 2024
A straight line is a perfect metaphor for man trying to control nature instead of being a part of it. There are no perfect lines in nature, just a representation of an idea.
“Solar”
In this series I bury the white lines into the background using many layers of transparent color. As they get deeper into the layers of color they fuse with the dark matter background.
“Solar” 25×18 acrylic on panel 2024
“Gateway” 25×18 acrylic on panel 2024
I’ve been doing line drawings as a form of aesthetic relaxation for many years. I use these straight lines to form organic shapes and fluid movement that dance and flow in a freeform way.
I have used these line patterns in many earlier, larger composition as a secondary or side motif. I decided to formalize them as a series after using them as elements of larger compositions for well over 10 years.
“Grandmother” 60 x 37
“Grandmother” 60 x 37 ink on panel
This is a portrait of my grandmother I did left handed as I injured the nerve in my right arm. It is inspired by the same photograph as my grandfather’s portrait, taken by Dorothea Lange when she was commissioned to photograph Japanese Americans being interned during the start of the US entry into World War II. This shot was taken in San Francisco as my grandmother and her family waited to board a bus for an internment camp in Utah. My grandfather and grandmother were immigrants from Japan, but my father and his brothers were born and raised in San Francisco.
The words used to make the marks that compose this portrait are the text from the Immigration Act of 1917, which barred most immigration from Asia. The late 19th century saw the rise of “Yellow peril” the perceived threat of Asian societies replacing the American identity which led to a series of immigration acts in the late 1800s early 1900s. There was the Chinese exclusion act of 1882, the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907, the Immigration Act of 1917, and the Immigration act of 1924, that were aimed exclusively at Asian immigration.
Detail:
Dorothea Lange photo
Humpback Whale
“Humpback Whale” 47×55
acrylic on linen 2023
New to the endangered species series. Thanks to whaling bans the Humpback whale population is recovering.
Positive Exposure at TAG Gallery
Two pieces from my “con.Text“ series, “Father II” and “Kimiko Kitagaki” will be on view at TAG Gallery from May 1 to May 24 as a part of Positive Exposure, an exhibition celebrating perspectives of the Asian American Pacific Islander artistic community.
opening reception at TAG
5458 Wilshire Blvd
Saturday, May 4, 4–8 pm.
“Father II” 40 x 34 ink on panel
A portrait of my father based on a photograph taken by Dorothea Lange when she was commissioned by the War Relocation Authority to photograph the Internment of Japanese Americans residing on the west coast during WWII
The piece is rendered using text from the California Alien Land Law of 1913, which targeted mostly Japanese farmers who were “aliens ineligible for citizenship” and prohibited them from owning agricultural land or possessing long-term leases over it.
I was lucky to find three photographs taken by Dorothea Lange of my father and his family in San Francisco when he was 17. He went on to enlist into the U.S. Army out of the Topaz Internment camp in Utah and served as an interrogator and interpreter in the Pacific theatre for the Military Intelligence Service.
“Kimiko Kitagaki” 36 x 28 ink on panel
Another portrait based on a photograph taken by Dorothy Lange of Kimiko Kitagaki as she waited with her family to board a bus that would take them to Tanforan Assembly Center, a converted horse stable, and eventually to more permanent housing in an internment camp built in inhospitable surroundings inland from the coast.
The words used to make the marks that compose this portrait are the text from Executive Order 9066, which was an Executive Order signed by FDR that established military areas excluding those of Japanese descent and establishing the internment camps away from the West Coast.
San Francisco Art Fair 2024
Billis Williams Gallery will have one of my older pieces in their booth at the SF Art Fair.
San Francisco Art Fair 2024
April 25-28, 2024
@billiswilliams.gallery
Booth F05
“Vico’s Science” Oil and wax on canvas 2002.
In 2001 I started experimenting with cold wax medium by mixing it into oil paint, allowing it to partially cure then carving into the painting. I would then load the scars with paint and sand it back even with the surface. This would produce very fine lines with many imperfections where the surface cracked as I scratched into it.
Bryan Ida 