Lara Hoke

Artist Statement:

My recent work is of Oakland at night. The intent of the series is to capture the darkness and light of our city’s streets.  These paintings explore the moments between here and there, evoking a combination of fear, expectation, and familiarity.

I execute the paintings with a combination of direct application of paint and thin glazes of color making the brush and my hand an integral part of the image.  I am especially interested in light, form, and line and how they work together to create space and emotional atmosphere.

I grew up in suburbs of Washington, D.C. At a very young age, I had the opportunity to study painting and drawing at  the the Art League School at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia.

I attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and spent a semester abroad in Italy at the Tyler School of Art's Rome campus.  Additionally, I received a fellowship and spent a summer at the School of the Art Institute's Ox-Bow School of the Arts, an artist residency in Saugatuck, Michigan.

After graduating I moved to New York and was among the first resident artists at Madarts Studios. In 2007 I relocated to Oakland, California.

In addition to my personal work, I am a portrait painter and have been commissioned to paint portraits of Paul Mellon and Theresa Heinz Kerry, among others.