La Luz de Jesus Gallery is pleased to present Microworlds, a solo exhibition by Robert S. Connett on view from November 1 – December 1, 2019.

Robert Steven Connett is a self-taught artist currently living in Los Angeles California. His beautifully realized visions of an unseen world teeming with vibrant and complex lifeforms open windows into a universe that we rarely contemplate. Microscopic biological phenomena of the natural world, both flora and fauna, and particularly that of oceanic origins, provides Connett with bountiful inspirations. His colorful imagination ensures his creations rise above the natural and inhabit a sphere somewhere between the familiar and the extraordinary. Connett masterfully brings a sumptuous and bizarre underworld into existence.

I’m often asked why I choose to paint what I do. The simple answer is that these subjects fascinate me. I paint because I enjoy seeing my imagination come to life. A deeper answer is this: My work has become a sanctuary formed from my imagination. The effects of Climate change are so dire that I feel compelled to cocoon myself in a world of my own making. As I watch our planet losing up to 100 species every day, I feel dark despair. When I was young, life was plentiful and abundant, or so it seemed. My paintings are not only my oasis but also my way of remembering the way things were. My work has become my haven, as well as a tribute to life as it was before the great extinctions began. In the shadow of a withering planet, I create worlds that are lush and thriving. I hope my work can encourage and uplift those who feel as I do about this climate crisis. However, creating a memory of a time when our world was stable is not enough. We all must do everything we can to lessen the causes of this crisis. This is our greatest challenge since the ascendance of humanity.

(Robert S. Connett, 2019)