I’m pleased to announce my next exhibition: Palm Springs Weekend! Opening May 15th at the George Billis Gallery LA, this body of work has been a year in the making. During lockdowns and quarantines, this series allowed me to focus more on the concept of home and how better design can lead to better living. Join me for the opening reception (in person!) on Saturday May 15th, from 4-7pm. Although I’ll be fully vaccinated, masks will be required. Stop by, say hello, and see the show in person - something I won’t ever take for granted!
My statement on this new body of work:
After a difficult year of quarantines and “safer at home” orders, we’re slowly beginning to leave our homes to once again venture into the outside and the unknown. At no other time has the idea of “home” been under such examination: your geographical home, your mental home, and the home you share with others. My work has always focused on ideas of home, community, neighborhood, and social design. Through my paintings, I observe and document mostly residential design and architecture, and its historical impact, specifically that of the post WWII midcentury housing boom. It was a time of great growth, both in population and in ideals to improve quality of life. I thought about those ideals quite a bit during this past year of lockdowns and how those living in midcentury Modern homes perhaps fared better than most: open, airy floor plans; an attention to nature due to atriums and interior gardens; and an emphasis on leisure with beckoning swimming pools and spacious patios. I’ve always insisted that the city of Palm Springs embodies these principles above and beyond any others, and so I chose to focus on this location of optimistic architecture for my latest body of work. These paintings aim to transport the viewer to the sun-drenched landscape of swimming pools, swaying palm trees, manicured lawns, and colorful cars, not only as an escape during hard times, but also as a reminder that bright, well-thought out architecture is timeless and the key to better living. I hope people can reflect on these scenes, thinking about how they live and where they call home. Perhaps they’ll reevaluate their own living situation and make small adjustments. But if they can’t, maybe they’ll plan that next vacation, as things open up bit by bit, day by day, and we can all once again enjoy a Palm Springs Weekend.
-Danny Heller