Arella Tomlinson

I paint characters embedded into highly textured surfaces, that have an ancient or earthy aesthetic. My figurative work currently starts with collaged raised relief maps, which I collect. I collect them because maps have always fascinated me due to their texture and their intricate details that evoke memory, invite us on a journey, give us a 'big picture' perspective, or tell a secondary story to what is paired with them. I cut, collage, or enhance the maps with sculptural detail to preserve or amplify the topography, geological features, or cultural connections of the place. As I do that, I am exploring parallels between those natural features and the features of the psyche of the archetypal figure I’m depicting. Then, I create a mixed media painting over it, which is either in just oils or oil over acrylics, art markers, collage, and spray paint. My style is painterly and textured. I experiment constantly with new materials. My previous training and experience as an Art Therapist informs my exploration of themes in the work. My figures tend to be innocents, explorers, and sages, who are seeking and finding restoration and peace. My series featuring singular trees I consider and present in a similar way…as characters overlaid on a...

I earned my BFA in Painting from University of Colorado at Boulder, my MA in Art Therapy from Loyola Marymount University in LA, and a certificate from Milan Art Institute.

Galleries
7/2021-present, Bird Dog Arts Gallery, Arvin, CA
2/2022-present, Milan Art Gallery, milanartgallery.com


Solo Show
2015 Residual Places, Art Center Gallery, Pasadena, CA, Curated by April Bey


Selected Group Shows



2022 Guest Artist in ‘Percieve Me’ by artist/curator Kristine Schoemaker, Coastline Gallery, Newport Beach, CA
2022 Connect/Collaborate 2, Shoebox Projects Online, Los Angeles, CA
3/2022 Art in Bloom, Creative Arts Group, Sierra Madre, CA


1/22 Solace in the Terrain: Artist Alley Gallery, Monrovia, CA


MONUMENTAL: Virtual Reality Online Gallery Group Show
Curated by Sergio Gomez
12/1/21 - 1/31/22


Bird Dog Arts Gallery, Tejon, CA
Showing 5 work

2/2017 Heaven and Earth: Linus Galleries Online Juried Show, Pasadena, CA

11/2016 Fall Art Festival: Sierra Madre Creative Arts Group, Sierra Madre, CA

9/2016 Brand44 Works on Paper: National Juried Exhibition, Brand Library & Galleries, Glendale, CA, Juried by Laddie John Dill

9/2016 Texture: Linus Galleries Online Juried Show, Pasadena, CA

7/2015 Century Book Store and Gallery, Pasadena, CA

1/2012 American West Bank, Monrovia, CA

10/2011 Monrovia Art Fair

8/2011 Parchment Coffee Shop, Monrovia, CA

2012 Topanga Canyon Gallery 2012 Open Juried Exhibition ...