Ron Rizk: For the Time Being

Ron Rizk, well known for his trompe l'oeil still-life paintings, continues to push and evolve his work. Now 85 years old, Rizk paints with a command of the medium only achieved through decades of experience. This new work is arguably more autobiographical than the previous work but there are through-lines that connect all of Rizk's paintings: objects telling a story. Ron Rizk's approach to this current body of architecture and landscape paintings is informed by his long history of still life painting. Rizk's earlier work drew on shallow space trompe l'oeil and California assemblage and this new series turns that eye and sensibility to structures and flora. Compositions that were previously made up of found objects now are made up of structures the artist constructs in foam core and places in simple dioramas. Buildings that Rizk has seen in his extensive travels populate the paintings - surrounded by landscapes drawn from research, his imagination, or memories of places he has visited.