Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Statler.
Zach, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Santa Monica. I grew up In the mid 90’s playing in the sand down by the pier and generally loving life. My memories of that time have this glowing, sun-drenched quality and everything is in the color pallet of a California sunset. It was a really beautiful period of my life and I think it really informed my aesthetic sensibilities.
Then I moved to New York City to attend art school. The experience was definitely a shock to me. I felt isolated in the city and enclosed in buildings. Generally speaking I struggled in school. It seemed like we were being taught how to think, rather than being given the tools and skills to experiment and grow on our terms. I made a lot of really ridiculous paintings at that time, mostly in rebellion to the overly serious academic environment I found myself in. I made huge paintings of graphic cartoon nudity. It was definitely silly, but at least I had fun.
After University I couldn’t wait to get back to the relaxed vibration of beach life in Santa Monica. I moved back home and converted my moms garage to a painting studio. I forgot everything I “learned” and just started experimenting… making the work that I wanted to make.
Mid-way through the process of creating my first painting back in California, I also had my first experience with psilocybin mushrooms. One moment I remember quite clearly from that first trip was when I looked at that painting. It was moving and breathing and flowing into itself. Most importantly, I felt an emotional connection to the piece… as though It were a truly a living being, almost like my child. Previously to that moment, I had always seen paintings as objects, so this was pivotal for me.
I continued working with psychedelics, often taking them for painting sessions. It totally busted me open. I remember the relationship I had with that actual paint itself at that time. I must have looked crazy, I was filling my brush with loads of color and literally “talking dirty” to the paint as I applied and watched it drip down the surface of the canvas. It was an erotic experience.
It became so much less about the image I was trying to create and so much more about the materials themselves and the enjoyment of process. The visual harmonics of one color vibrating next to another, or the actual dynamics of how paint drips and flows. I had always created very “stiff” paintings, but this was totally different. I was letting something else entirely come through me, and the result was a lot more liberated.
I would definitely say that my work is best viewed in a “medicine space”… The paintings literally come alive in that context. Sometimes people enjoy my work in normal state, but when they see it under medicine it’s a totally different story. I create them all with that intention. I consider myself to be a “visionary” artist, but in a slightly different way. I’m concerned with evoking the emotion of transcendent states, rather than depicting imagery one might encounter during a trip. My paintings are intended to be more like a catalyst than visual record.
Painting for me now is a devotional practice as much as it is an exploration or a profession. It’s a direct way for me to express my love and create beauty to the world.
I’ve since moved out of my mom’s garage and have a studio in the Bendix Building in DTLA where I work now.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I guess a bit of both.
It’s been smooth in that I’ve always just made my life decisions from pure instinct. I never even decided to be a painter. It just sort of “happened”.
The main difficulty I encounter is that I’ll go through periods where I intend to paint, but my soul just simply has other plans. I didn’t create a single piece of artwork for two years between late 2017 and 2019. The path of spiritual and personal growth that life necessitated of me required so much energy that I really didn’t have much left for creativity.
I’m now getting back into the flow of painting and it feels really good.
What else should our readers know?
It’s pretty simple. I create large scale psychedelic oil paintings out of my studio in downtown Los Angeles.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Authenticity, Quality, Beauty, Truth, Love.
I would say Authenticity is my most essential quality. I’ve got this uncompromising dedication to authenticity and quality. I simply refuse to put anything out into the world that doesn’t feel like it’s aligned with my own inner truth and of the highest quality I am capable of creating at that time.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1206 maple ave #218
- Website: www.zachstatler.com
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Corinne Dove
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