I began to paint trees in 2001. These were simple, marginalized, roadside trees in Los Angeles that usually went unnoticed. They seemed to be a good place to start. Now, 23 years later, I am still painting trees and have found in them a subject of great versatility whose treatment can express an infinite variety of sensations; both current and ancient and can carry the weight of a universal desire to understand life’s deepest mysteries.

Lucas Reiner, 2023