California Natives 1988

Carlos Almaraz made this painting "California Natives" with fluid brushstrokes and a warm, vibrant color palette. I imagine him deeply engrossed in the act of painting, layering colors and forms, letting the composition shift and emerge through trial, error, and intuition. The painting is full of a sense of imaginative storytelling. There are so many different vignettes here—nudes by the water, a figure under an umbrella in the rain, a man in a hat with a chicken! Each gesture seems to communicate a different emotion, intention, and meaning. The paint appears to be applied with varying degrees of thickness, creating a textured surface. It’s like Almaraz is in conversation with artists across time. Painting is a conversation. Almaraz takes the baton and makes something full of life. I look at this painting, and I feel inspired by the way Almaraz embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple readings. It's all very moving.