How to master trivial scenarios into complex artistry: The paintings of @larrymadrigal reflect our daily obligations, struggles and pleasures in a nearly absurde and comedic way. We’ve seen a lot of pictures of life like moments. His paintings however present a different point of view and a intricate care for detail that instantly rises ones attention.If you ask us for advice, we have seen a lot of spectacular work @coevalmagazine throughout the last years, but let us tell you that @larrymadrigal is one to watch out for. Just saying.

What is the thing you fear the most?

I fear that in my final years, regardless of any artistic achievement, I will regret not earnestly participating in this life as a loving person as much as I would like. I think being a painter is very special and meaningful, but it does not hold a candle to the art of living among others. I understand this sounds extremely novel and perhaps naive, but I truly believe nothing compares to a life spent energizing your relationships and community. Being a painter in the studio can often create tension between this desire, and my own artistic ambitions, and perhaps that tension itself is what drives my work.

How deep do you merge within your paintings during your creative process?

I work with visual narrative. So I often think very carefully about what goes into a painting. Sometimes I become paralyzingly obsessive about its symbolic construction. Everything in the painting is associational. The placement of inanimate objects, proximities of figures, handling of brush marks and direction of shapes are all in service to different floating themes and attitudes within one painting. At the same time, I want them to feel simple or candid. So, in a way they are both shallow and deep.

Where are you living right now? And how are you doing there?

Although I’m originally from Los Angles, I live in Phoenix, Arizona and have been here for some time. I call it LA’s little cousin. My studio is just south of downtown in the warehouse district, but I live in the suburbs. My long half-hour commute has become an important part of my process. It’s like a transformational portal to and from the studio, where I reflect on what I’ve done, come up with solutions, or contemplate the universe! I graduated from Arizona State University in May 2020 and I think the painting program there is underrated considering the great studio space for MFA students. But, the summers are brutal. That’s part of the deal. I’ve come to really enjoy working here a lot. You can really focus on your work with a healthy distance from the greater art world and its influences. I’m easily distracted, so a coastal city would make it hard to obsess over the work I think.

What has 2020 done for you - which impact has it had on your work so far?

Overall, I think 2020 made me dive more into the psychology and narrativity of the commonplace. The pandemic brought many of us home, and forced us to face our lives and relationships in their raw form.

Source of inspiration: Who are the painters and artists that you admire since childhood?

I wasn’t exposed to any art growing up so I was mainly influenced by comics and cartoons. Although, I do remember loving the impressionist paintings when I learned about them in elementary school. I also liked magic tricks, and impressionism is like a kind of visual magic, a trick of the eye where chaos becomes orderly at a distance. During high school, I got into graffiti and was particularly infatuated by the east cost wild style. I always liked the pizzazz and bold attitude of graffiti and I still see how it subtly influences my work even today. Later in life I began falling in love with all kinds of artists and particularly the old master paintings.