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On view now through Sunday, September 8, 2024
Born in Los Angeles to a family of filmmakers and writers, Christopher Noxon began his career as a journalist and illustrator. His writing and illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, New York Times Magazine, and several of his own books.
In 2020, Noxon moved out of L.A. to Ojai. He also became steward to a large collection of paintings and drawings by his late grandmother, Betty Lane (1907-1996). Looking to Betty’s art and the work of other artists, including Huichol yarn paintings and Fauve painters like Henri Matisse, Noxon taught himself to paint.
In “Greenbelt,” Noxon’s first one-person show of paintings, the artist showcases the Santa Paula landscape through a phantasmagorical lens. Using oil, acrylic, and watercolor, Noxon processes the unique interplay of wildness, development, and agriculture in Santa Paula, a product of Ventura County’s long-standing greenbelt agreements and land-use policies.
Free of the inhibitions of formal art training, Noxon’s art is playful and busy, full of textures, patterns, and colors, especially pink! He paints how he feels, not what he sees. For the author-turned-artist, art is a verb, not a noun. “It’s the process and practice of making things. It’s how it makes you feel. If you feel something, that’s the art.”
While we recommend seeing “Greenbelt” in person, enjoy this abbreviated look at the exhibition in your inbox! All of the artworks are available for purchase.
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