Geoff Garza

Geoff Garza often points to his background in the theatre as being a great influence in his paintings and describes the materials he uses as actors in a play he is directing. In his past work, his cast was more abstract: patterns, colors and geometric shapes were the stars of the show. With the addition of collaged figures to his new paintings, Garza takes his storytelling to the next level, creating a heightened sense of drama and intrigue.

As in any great drama, the stakes are high for Garza’s characters. Each of his subjects is in some way fighting for survival. Garza sees the struggle as being both literal and figurative, representing the unresolved nature of any given moment in life, as well as the ego’s fight to hold on to rigid or outdated self-definitions. And, while the story in each painting is highly individual, his colorful characters are archetypal, raising questions about the state of our society, our relationship to nature and the environment, war, sexuality and religion.