Spotlight Artist

Ricky Vasan

MFA Annual
Artist profile photo

Sleep Well, Goodnight Love

Two people lying in bed together, one sleeping and one awake, under a patterned green blanket.

oil and wax on canvas

Rice & Beans

Painting of two people cooking in a kitchen with food and drinks on the counter.

oil on canvas

Last Call

A group of people socializing on a wooden porch in warm, late afternoon light.

oil and wax on canvas

Featured in New American Paintings1 / 3

Artist Statement

 My work is a quiet celebration of the minutiae of life. I find inspiration in intimate moments and private spaces. The figures I choose to paint are often significant people in my life; it is through this autobiographical lens that I attempt to tell a story. Inventive color relationships and geometric shapes act as artifacts of our connection to culture based recollection and our individual cognizance. I am interested in creating a surface that is full of history, each mark recalling cherished experiences. Spaces collapse, figures vibrate and objects are superimposed on top of one another. The resolution of these paintings comes from searching the lines and swatches of color that are the revelatory instruments. The goal is to tap into a tender moment bereft of logical perception of time, accuracy, and space in a way that resembles our perception of memory and is faithful to our way of remembering.

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