ABOUT: Tim Lahan

We are highlighting Tim Lahan, Oakland based artist whose vibrant pastels are currently on display at JOG. Lahan’s work in Out of Line uses soft pastels and gouache to depict flat shapes within the picture plane that describe the universal nature of our experiences. View his work in person through September 27th.

Field, Soft pastel and acrylic on paper, 15 x 11"

What drives you to your studio? Where does the impulse to make come from? 

The studio for me is a place where I just try to make real some of the things I think about throughout the day. I try to keep it pretty simple. Generally, I'll stew on an idea for a little while, maybe a week or more, and eventually I'll get the urge to paint or draw it. Other times I'll get a random idea after seeing something on a walk and make a note of it in my phone; usually just a quick sketch that captures the idea so I can flesh it out in the studio later.

Making work is pretty much my main means of communication. I'm pretty introverted, so making things is my way of sharing how I feel.

Can you talk about your approach when it comes to creating a composition?

Most of my work focuses on a singular object or situation, so that really drives what the composition is going to be. I also tend to isolate whatever I'm making as to not create a lot of visual noise or over-contextualize it. Like if I'm drawing a drinking glass on a table I usually don't really include the room it's in. Any kind of decorative element gets stripped out. I don't care what style of table it is, it's more about the fact that it registers as a table visually. I'll ignore things like wallpaper, the floor, etc. I might add little pieces of things that are suggestive to create a sense of space but they're often more representational, like a window, or a picture frame or piece of furniture. For me, making an image isn't so much about painting a descriptive "scene", it's more about capturing a moment that could be happening anywhere to anyone. It's more of a representation of an event, a fragment of an occurrence, or even what a memory might look like.

Is there any part of your practice you find especially satiating? Alternatively, is there any part perplexing, or even grating?

Just being able to take an object and represent it in a really graphic and simple way and have it convey some sort of concept is really satisfying to me. I really try to make images speak through an object's common association and my/people's relationship to it. I like to choose things that have an iconic quality and use them to express emotional ideas, almost in a cartoonish way.

On the other hand, it can be a challenge to limit myself to just a few elements. Not every object 'reads' well in the way that I render them which can be frustrating. But usually it just leads me to using supporting elements like shadows or rethinking how I'm actually drawing something. Almost like when making a logo, I try to choose the clearest way to show the thing so there's no confusion about what it actually is.

Your choice in figuration and subject seems specific both whimsical and eerie. Are there historical precedents that inspired this dual tone? 

Life feels pretty messy to me and I just have an impulse to find some kind of humor in it in order to cope. Finding a depiction to minimize or even process the intensity of the everyday. It's just always been my first response – to almost make a joke out of unpleasant things that might happen to me or dark thoughts that linger. 

When I was in my second or third year of art school, I was out getting ice cream with my parents and had a brain freeze causing me to black out and fall over. I broke my front tooth in half when I hit the pavement. It was a really weird event but I've brought it into my work a few different times, usually when I depict a smiling mouth. I'll often have the front tooth missing, almost in an Alfred E. Neuman sort of way.

Bent, Soft pastel and acrylic on paper, 15 x11", 2024

Can you speak to the mediums you choose to work with and why? 

I started using gouache many years ago for its flatness and high pigment content. I've always thought it was a nice alternative to acrylics because you don't get that weird sheen that sometimes happens. Since my work is largely focused on mostly flat shapes, the gouache really sets in a pleasant way that feels graphic. It reminds me of old animation cel painting. I like the way it sets on paper, sometimes soaking in but mostly just drying on top of it without any reflections.

For the work in Out of Line, I started exploring soft pastel which kind of has the same quality I like in gouache – it's pretty much pure pigment but moves in the opposite direction in that it's hard to control and can be a total mess. With these pieces I wanted to put the two mediums against each other to juggle the visual tension it creates.

Heads and Tails, Acrylic and pastel on paper, 11 x 15", 2024

What ‘s happening in your studio right now?

I've got a decent backlog of ideas that I'm working through right now. When I was experimenting with the soft pastels I started using them on wood panels to see what would happen and really got into it, so I plan to continue that series after the summer.

The exhibition Out of Line, featuring the work of Tim Lahan, Anthony Coleman and Tara Booth will be on display through September 27th. Read the full exhibition write up below.

Out of Line

Stop by the gallery during our open hours: Thurs & Fri: 5:00-8:00PM Sat: 1:00-6:00PM or email us at jamesolivergallery@gmail.com to set up an appointment.