I met Sean Cheetham at the L.A. Art Show. There were several artists hanging out at the booth. We were introduced, but Sean didn’t say much. At first I thought he was shy, or maybe just moody. His portraits certainly suggest the latter. From a technique standpoint he is a remarkable painter, but it is the emotional ambiguity that makes his work so compelling – much like the painter himself. Cheetham likes to paint his friends and family, especially his wife Gretchen – a woman with fine, delicate features who loves Elvis and combat boots. The dichotomy makes her the perfect muse for her husband. Most of his subjects are young and beautiful in that urban, the-body is-a-canvas kind of way. These are not smiling at the camera portraits – these depictions are raw and even aloof, as if there is more to the story than meets the eye. And of course there is – welcome to the world of Sean Cheetham.

To read the entire article: subscribe to Artworks Magazine.

Cheetham is also a musician – check out his band, Del Toro in the video above. Cheetham writes all his own stuff.