36” x 30”, oil, acrylic, pumice, and polymer emulsion on canvas, 2022
The texture and scraping away of paint to reveal hints of color beneath make this painting more than a black and white depiction. A wall is never black and white even if the initial impression is so. The painting was completed as a reaction to the war in Ukraine, as well as socio-political forces, including those in the art world, related to walls and allowing entry or denying access.
Daylight view of the painting.
Night view of the painting with the interior lights turned on.
Detail of the painting at night.
Another detail of the painting at night.
This video shows how the painting changes from day to night.
Portrait commissions are available. No modeling experience needed, and no need to sit for long periods of time because reference photos suffice! Contact Lucas Novak for more details.
48” x 36”, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2021
Here is an example of a figure painting completed in January, 2021. The balance between beauty, vulnerability, and mystery is a timeless feeling, like finding a wild flower beside a waterfall on a cold mountain. A quiet peacefulness with a trace of sadness. It is not something people experience every day, but it is something people remember. What I enjoyed about painting this subject was the way she crossed her arms and feet, with downcast eyes and tilted head, holding her body in a manner that suggested vulnerability or sadness. She sat naturally and gracefully as the sheet flowed over her like water or cream.
Her pose also evokes mystery because the viewer wants to see her eyes and full figure which is blocked only by the loose flowing sheet. What is hidden just as important as what is revealed. Like an enigma.
Detail of face.
Detail of hand and sheet.
I created this painting on the reverse side of a painting I completed in 2008. That painting never really saw the light of day, as it sat in storage soon after its genesis, only to have its stretcher bars removed years later and regress into a rolled-up canvas that was lighter and took up less space. Now transformed once again into a new work of art, with the remains of the past still present but unlikely ever to be seen again. I remember painting that piece and cannot believe it has already been over 12 years ago. Time flies, as the present quickly becomes history.
This painting, titled The Past, Present, And Future, was created in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and completed in December, 2020. The number of Covid infections are increasing at record-breaking rates across the country, each day bringing more infections and hospitalizations than the previous day. As a resident of Los Angeles County, one of the most infected regions of the world, I have no control. And I have no choice but to just let go, allow the powers to play out. The present is bleak and the future uncertain. But there is hope. Effective vaccines have supposedly been invented, and the first wave of distributions have begun. While it remains unclear when the general public may have access to the vaccines, vaccine effectiveness is still questionable.
These are some of things I was thinking about when I created this artwork.
Detail: texture and color
