Lou Breininger (b. Hagerstown, MD) is an artist, hiker, novice rock climber, and outdoor enthusiast currently living and working in Los Angeles, CA. Their work explores place and home through landscape and pattern. These elements blur past and present tense to bend structures and time. They received a BFA in Painting from Arcadia University (Glenside, PA) and an MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI). They have attended studio programs at Goldsmith’s College (London, England) and School of Visual Arts (New York, NY). Their work has been featured in Hyperallergic, LA Weekly, and New American Paintings. They have mounted solo exhibitions at Odd Ark LA (Los Angeles, CA), Peter Strauss Ranch (Agoura Hills, CA), and the Painted Bride Art Center (Philadelphia, PA).
Lou's time at Ojo Creative Preserve was spent drawing and experiencing how the ground shifts and reforms in response to elements - including the body. Many days included wandering - sinking into the clay, looking down, then spotting a treasure trove of pebbles. Through observing and collecting these rocks, they discovered color relationships, compositions, and forms they look forward to incorporating into their future work. Of particular delight was the discovery that most of the landscape's palette could be represented almost entirely through these small rocks. This shift to and from collective to individual moments was pivotal. They are excited to return to Ojo Creative Preserve and observe the seasonal changes through landscape drawing, rock collecting, and restoration - hopefully spotting a bighorn sheep this time around.
Collaboration Lou lent a hand by moving felled branches of the invasive Russian Olive from areas sited for rehabilitation to a stockpile for a future on-site hügelkultur project.
