Britton Tolliver
Region: Pacific Coast
My paintings draw from the full range of abstraction’s possibilities,
fusing diverse positions and processes in hard-fought, deeply
considered compositions. I execute each work in a series of
discrete stages: initial layers of paint are almost completely
obscured by subsequent ones, with masking tape used to both
inscribe and preserve areas of interest as the composition evolves.
The paintings speak to a nuanced relationship with the natural
world. For instance, their textured surfaces, notable for their
depth of relief and seductive tactility, can be read as topographic
maps or psychedelic scans of alien landscapes; meanwhile,
their high-contrast chromatic range can recall the lurid
immediacy of Los Angeles—its sublime sunsets and brash
digital billboards, and the moods and spaces it conjures. Yet,
even as I continue to grapple with the legacies of abstraction in
a contemporary context, my most recent works have begun to
embrace figurative elements.
![](https://nap-master.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/bio_cover_img/public/Britton%20headshot.2.jpg?zZJrzh1fzMi0Tr2ybgBo60hU3w9houxI&itok=dc0iLxc_)