Joseph Lozano
Gross McCleaf Gallery proudly presents A Discreet History of Trees, a solo exhibition of new paintings by artist Joseph Lozano. The show features 14 works that interweave historical narratives, personal reflections, and painterly exploration into dynamic compositions that transcend traditional boundaries of realism and abstraction.
Lozano’s work is deeply rooted in storytelling—a theme that resonates across the paintings in this exhibition. Drawing inspiration from the Hermits of the Wissahickon, a 17th-century monastic society that sought spiritual refuge in the wilderness of Philadelphia, Lozano’s paintings evoke an interplay between history, memory, and discovery. "Their story started to feel a little less crazy and more like a mirror to ours," Lozano explains. "If you have the time, it is better to get a little lost in the woods than it is to walk the same path every day."
The exhibition is divided into seasons, with key works such as Autumn (The Collector), Winter (The Hermit), Spring (The Poet), and Summer (The Child) offering viewers an intimate glimpse into Lozano’s life, family, and the Wissahickon’s layered landscapes. Each painting showcases Lozano’s fascination with the fluid boundary between reality and imagination. In Summer (The Child), Lozano recalls a vivid memory of his son crossing a rushing creek during the pandemic, an act he describes as both perilous and profound. “This painting is about scale,” he says, “their tiny little bodies exploring a world that is more immense than they can imagine.”
Image Left: The Women of the Wilderness: Sunrise, Moon Set
40″ x 30″, Oil On Board
Lozano’s approach to painting is informed by a love for color and texture. Works such as Forty Days and Studio Interior highlight his layered techniques and meticulous process, where every choice is imbued with meaning. Forty Days, for instance, reflects the hermits’ obsession with the biblical significance of the number 40, with the artist painting over the same surface 40 times to chronicle seasonal transitions. “By the time I finished the painting, it was completely covered with tape, and I had no idea what it looked like until I removed the tape piece by piece,” he recounts. This process of discovery echoes the philosophical undertones of his work, balancing belief and doubt, and memory and experience.
The Entwined Ducks, 40" x 32", Oil on Canvas
While Lozano’s subjects often spring from historical or literary sources, his practice remains anchored in the physicality of paint. "The true subjects of my paintings are color relationships," Lozano states. “Color only exists in context. One color placed next to another is all you need to create a vibration of space on a flat surface.” This philosophy is evident in works like The Entwined Ducks, where the juxtaposition of studio objects and references to Middle Kingdom Egyptian paintings creates an elastic sense of space and time.
In addition to his thematic depth, Lozano’s works celebrate the inherent tension between abstraction and realism. In Studio Interior, for example, Lozano bridges the boundaries of his attic studio and the woods beyond, blending geometric patterns and organic forms to challenge the logic of space. The painting vibrates with a poetic tension, inviting viewers to navigate its layered surfaces.
Joseph Lozano: A Discreet History of Trees is both a celebration of the painter’s craft and a meditation on the interwoven stories of nature, community, and history. It invites viewers to slow down, reflect, and see the familiar with fresh eyes—a journey, like Lozano’s paintings, where failure and discovery coexist.
Joseph Lozano (b. 1982, Philadelphia, PA): Joseph Lozano’s path as an artist began when he was invited to work with Tim Rollins and Kids of Survival (K.O.S.), subsequently becoming a member of K.O.S. He received an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA), Philadelphia, PA, in 2009, and a certificate in painting at PAFA in 2007. He has exhibited extensively in the northeast and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Wolf/Khan painting fellowship to attend the Vermont Studio Center. Lozano teaches painting at Immaculata University and lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.
Summer (The Child), 48" x 60", Oil on Canvas
