A few weeks ago, I met Michael Reeder in his studio in Downtown Los Angeles. Before that meeting, we’ve only had conversations over facebook or text messages and had to interview him thru email. His studio was located near the Brewery Art Walk, in a warehouse full of clustered studio spaces. His studio has a decent space good enough for one artist to fit a large working table and a wood cutting machine. There I’ve also met his girlfriend Rachel and their too friendly of a dog, Zoe.

What caught my interest with Michael Reeder’s work is the ironic painting of (perhaps) a lifeless man that seems to be familiar and ubiquitously present in most of his pieces. It is ironic in a sense that this person was often rendered in black and white and looks as though he is contemplating or somewhat heavily disconnected to anything and yet he is always adorned flamboyantly with vibrant colors and repeated patterns.

In his show this Saturday, “Me, Myself and Delirium”, the cover artwork in the invitation was rather different. The man often portrayed lifeless can now be found sort of smiling with eyes gazing to whomever is looking at him. There are other added layers of Michael’s work

Check out new developments of Michael Reeder’s art and what he’ll be planning on in the future, read the interview below. And, just in case you’ve missed it! We have interviewed him where he tells us his beginnings and how he came to be. Read here.

Interview by Mark Changco.
Art by Michael Reeder.

Tell me about your show at Cordesa Fine Art, “Me, Myself and Delirium”. Are you in a sort of insanity at the moment?

Haha, I feel like I’m always in some variation of insanity! The title of the show is based on the late night moments where delirium begins to set in and become a player in the process. My works aren’t specifically self portraits, however there’s no denying there are essences of myself in them, and this being a solo show it only seemed fitting to highlight those involved. Me and my muse, delirium.

Can you describe your process for this show?

Well, I wanted to continue investigating the new dimensional layered style I’ve been working in this past year. In addition, I wanted to have a nice range of scale which includes works on paper and studies that are displayed alongside my more elaborate works on panel.

Are there any surprise elements that people should expect?

There are two specific pieces that are my most dimensional works to date. They border on almost being full-on sculptures. This wasn’t something I specifically set out to accomplish, they just sort of came to be. There is also a smaller figure that makes multiple appearances in the works and I’m not 100% who he is, but I enjoy his presence. He activates the space on a new level and presents new questions for the viewer.

How is this show different from your previous ones?

I would say that this step towards sculpture is a very new thing and quite unexpected, to be honest. Some might argue that it’s a fairly obvious next step from my layered paintings, however I certainly didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

Do you have a favorite piece? Why?

I would have to say that ‘Ride Or Die’ is definitely up there as a favorite. I’m very pleased with the way it turned out but I’m moreso excited about where I can go next from that piece. It presents so many potential avenues to venture down and explore. It’s one of the first pieces that I’ve done that completely abandons the typical square or rectangular perimeter of the surface.