Todd Carpenter Art

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Where no one Hears" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white landscape full of dense trees and foliage, with glittering sunlight peeking through...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Still Imagined" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white landscape with leafless trees and saplings together in the dark Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles based artist who uses black and white paint to explore the perception of space and beauty. Carpenter's formal education is in science - he holds a MS in Neuroscience from UCSD and a BS in Psychobiology from UCLA - and he brings this background into service when making art. His paintings explore the mechanisms of perception and aesthetics, examining among other things how the depiction of light can impart realism and convey emotion. Like his paintings bridging art and science, Carpenter's career has similarly straddled the two fields, and he has taught subjects ranging from neuroscience and environmental science to photography and painting. Artist Statement As a painter, I am particularly interested in how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. Painting, as with any visual art, is obviously dependent on light. But painting can also have a more specific connection in that the accurate depiction of light is crucial for achieving realism. Realism in paintings largely arises from the portrayal of depth - perceiving a painting as being realistic is equivalent to seeing its subject as existing in more than just the two dimensions of the picture plane - and one of the mechanisms by which humans perceive depth is through lighting cues. Light creates features such as shading, shadow, and contrast that tell us about the three-dimensional arrangement of our surroundings, and artists often use these features to impart realism to paintings. Light also factors in to the emotional impact of paintings. The differential illumination of our surroundings can evoke different moods, as evidenced by the influence sunsets, candlelight, and darkness can have on us. Such effectssuggest that our perception of light could be tied to primitive instincts, with light signaling factors such as shelter, nightfall, and warmth, which were once crucial for survival. The depiction of light in paintings...

"Clones of Clones" depicts a a city at the foot of a mountain ranged. This painting is rendered in about nine variations of gray, the darkest in the foreground is a few steps from bl...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Fractal" is an acrylic painting that depicts a black and white landscape full of trees and foliage, with glittering sunlight peeking through. Bio/artis...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Panpandemic" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white landscape of towering snow capped mountains and vast, deserted valleys Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles based artist who uses black and white paint to explore the perception of space and beauty. Carpenter's formal education is in science - he holds a MS in Neuroscience from UCSD and a BS in Psychobiology from UCLA - and he brings this background into service when making art. His paintings explore the mechanisms of perception and aesthetics, examining among other things how the depiction of light can impart realism and convey emotion. Like his paintings bridging art and science, Carpenter's career has similarly straddled the two fields, and he has taught subjects ranging from neuroscience and environmental science to photography and painting. Artist Statement As a painter, I am particularly interested in how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. Painting, as with any visual art, is obviously dependent on light. But painting can also have a more specific connection in that the accurate depiction of light is crucial for achieving realism. Realism in paintings largely arises from the portrayal of depth - perceiving a painting as being realistic is equivalent to seeing its subject as existing in more than just the two dimensions of the picture plane - and one of the mechanisms by which humans perceive depth is through lighting cues. Light creates features such as shading, shadow, and contrast that tell us about the three-dimensional arrangement of our surroundings, and artists often use these features to impart realism to paintings. Light also factors in to the emotional impact of paintings. The differential illumination of our surroundings can evoke different moods, as evidenced by the influence sunsets, candlelight, and darkness can have on us. Such effectssuggest that our perception of light could be tied to primitive instincts, with light signaling factors such as shelter, nightfall, and warmth, which were once crucial for survival. The depiction of light in paintings...

"The Factory Builds Eternally East" depicts a open skies and city lights. This scene is of no particular place, but rather Carpenter's interpretation and compilation of various places he has visited. As a painter, I examine how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. The portrayal of light helps a painting to convey the atmosphere and mood of a scene, and is much of what enables a painting to convey depth and realism. Our perception of lighting features occurs largely through pathways in the brain that carry only black and white information, pathways which are distinct from areas that encode the colors and details we use to delineate specific objects. By painting in grayscale, I try to interact specifically with this region of our visual system, with the hope of conveying some of the spaciousness and emotional significance that light can imbue on scenes. Light, whether as the crisp contrast of a back-lit forest or the gray haze of an industrial landscape, is what defines a scene. Its power to communicate the feel of a place is the principle subject of my paintings. The Blue Azul...

"Head in the clouds" depicts skyscrapers and a waterway. This scene is of no particular place, but rather his interpretation and compilation of var...

"Descending Towards Now," oil on wood painting by artist Todd Carpenter depicts a remote landscape of leafless trees being nourished by a running stream. Imagine this is a past route...

"Future Shadow" is of a scene in the woods. This scene is of no particular place, but rather his interpretation and compilation of various places he has visited. As a painter, I examine how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. The portrayal of light helps a painting to convey the atmosphere and mood of a scene, and is much of what enables a painting to convey depth and realism. Our perception of lighting features occurs largely through pathways in the brain that carry only black and white information, pathways which are distinct from areas that encode the colors and details we use to delineate specific objects. By painting in grayscale, I try to interact specifically with this region of our visual system, with the hope of conveying some of the spaciousness and emotional significance that light can imbue on scenes. Light, whether as the crisp contrast of a back-lit forest or the gray haze of an industrial landscape, is what defines a scene. Its power to communicate the feel of a place is the principle subject of my paintings. The Blue Azul Collection...

"Lost Between The Details" depicts a open skies and city lights. This scene is of no particular place, but rather Carpenter's interpretation and compilation of various places he has visited. As a painter, I examine how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. The portrayal of light helps a painting to convey the atmosphere and mood of a scene, and is much of what enables a painting to convey depth and realism. Our perception of lighting features occurs largely through pathways in the brain that carry only black and white information, pathways which are distinct from areas that encode the colors and details we use to delineate specific objects. By painting in grayscale, I try to interact specifically with this region of our visual system, with the hope of conveying some of the spaciousness and emotional significance that light can imbue on scenes. Light, whether as the crisp contrast of a back-lit forest or the gray haze of an industrial landscape, is what defines a scene. Its power to communicate the feel of a place is the principle subject of my paintings. The Blue Azul Collection...

"Atlas Dips His Toes In the Sky" depicts the energy of a city that sits in a valley. As with most of Todd Carpenter's paintings, this scene is of no particular place, but rather his...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Drain of Progress" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white cityscape skyline with a large body of water passing through the middle. Bio/artist...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Melted" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white panoramic landscape of soaring peaks. Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles b...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Phase" is an acrylic painting that depicts a black and white landscape of soaring peaks. Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles based ar...

Todd Carpenter's "Vitkovice" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts a monochromatic urban, industrial landscape. This piece is not framed yet is ready to hang. T...

Todd Carpenter's "Muddle" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a monochromatic landscape of stream cutting through a lush tropical forest.

Ridge Beyond Reach, 2019

Chopstick Tree, 2017

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Darkness Rises" is an oil painting that depicts a city in the distance glimmering in the darkness with a few sparse and leafless trees vaguely blocking its view Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles based artist who uses black and white paint to explore the perception of space and beauty. Carpenter's formal education is in science - he holds a MS in Neuroscience from UCSD and a BS in Psychobiology from UCLA - and he brings this background into service when making art. His paintings explore the mechanisms of perception and aesthetics, examining among other things how the depiction of light can impart realism and convey emotion. Like his paintings bridging art and science, Carpenter's career has similarly straddled the two fields, and he has taught subjects ranging from neuroscience and environmental science to photography and painting. Artist Statement As a painter, I am particularly interested in how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. Painting, as with any visual art, is obviously dependent on light. But painting can also have a more specific connection in that the accurate depiction of light is crucial for achieving realism. Realism in paintings largely arises from the portrayal of depth - perceiving a painting as being realistic is equivalent to seeing its subject as existing in more than just the two dimensions of the picture plane - and one of the mechanisms by which humans perceive depth is through lighting cues. Light creates features such as shading, shadow, and contrast that tell us about the three-dimensional arrangement of our surroundings, and artists often use these features to impart realism to paintings. Light also factors in to the emotional impact of paintings. The differential illumination of our surroundings can evoke different moods, as evidenced by the influence sunsets, candlelight, and darkness can have on us. Such effectssuggest that our perception of light could be tied to primitive instincts, with light signaling factors such as shelter, nightfall, and warmth, which were once crucial for survival. The depiction of light in...

"Cast Away From The Mainland" depicts a city near a waterway. These small paintings beckon viewers to draw closer and observe all that artist has been able to convey on such a small ...

"With Sky Peeled Back From The Earth" depicts a open skies and city lights. This scene is of no particular place, but rather his interpretation and compilation of various places he h...

Todd Carpenter As a painter, I examine how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. The portrayal of light helps a painting to convey the atmosphere and mood of a scene, and is much of what enables a painting to convey depth and realism. Our perception of lighting features occurs largely through pathways in the brain that carry only black and white information, pathways which are distinct from areas that encode the colors and details we use to delineate specific objects. By painting in grayscale, I try to interact specifically with this region of our visual system, with the hope of conveying some of the spaciousness and emotional significance that light can imbue on scenes. Light, whether as the crisp contrast of a back-lit forest or the gray haze of an industrial landscape, is what defines a scene. Its power to communicate the feel of a place is the principle subject of my paintings. The Blue...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Above Plain" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white mountainous landscape. Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles based artis...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Crystallized" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white landscape of soaring peaks. Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles based...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Entrained" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white urban landscape with city lights in the foreground. This piece is framed and ready to hang. ...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Eroded" is an acrylic painting that depicts a black and white urban landscape with city lights in the foreground. This piece is framed and ready to hang....

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Regression" is an acrylic painting that depicts a black and white landscape. Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles based artist who use...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Sinking In" is an acrylic painting that depicts a black and white landscape of an industrial river scene. Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Lo...

Above Summer, 2019

Retreat, 2019

Ascent, 2019

An Escape from Time, 2019

The Belt Tightened, 2019

Growth of Decay, 2020

Black Cloud of Night, 2019

The Engulf, 2020

The Last Landscape, 2020

Knifed, 2019

Cobbled, 2020

Sprouts, 2020

Clouded, 2019

The Spread of Silence, 2020

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "There that yet may be" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white landscape of a city's lights nestled in a canyon between mountains, with swirlin...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Post Progress" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white vast landscape with telephone poles overrun with brush and dense foliage, and mountains in the distance Bio/artist statement: Todd Carpenter is a Los Angeles based artist who uses black and white paint to explore the perception of space and beauty. Carpenter's formal education is in science - he holds a MS in Neuroscience from UCSD and a BS in Psychobiology from UCLA - and he brings this background into service when making art. His paintings explore the mechanisms of perception and aesthetics, examining among other things how the depiction of light can impart realism and convey emotion. Like his paintings bridging art and science, Carpenter's career has similarly straddled the two fields, and he has taught subjects ranging from neuroscience and environmental science to photography and painting. Artist Statement As a painter, I am particularly interested in how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. Painting, as with any visual art, is obviously dependent on light. But painting can also have a more specific connection in that the accurate depiction of light is crucial for achieving realism. Realism in paintings largely arises from the portrayal of depth - perceiving a painting as being realistic is equivalent to seeing its subject as existing in more than just the two dimensions of the picture plane - and one of the mechanisms by which humans perceive depth is through lighting cues. Light creates features such as shading, shadow, and contrast that tell us about the three-dimensional arrangement of our surroundings, and artists often use these features to impart realism to paintings. Light also factors in to the emotional impact of paintings. The differential illumination of our surroundings can evoke different moods, as evidenced by the influence sunsets, candlelight, and darkness can have on us. Such effectssuggest that our perception of light could be tied to primitive instincts, with light signaling factors such as shelter, nightfall, and warmth, which were once crucial for survival. The depiction of light in...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Imagination Towers Emptily" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white landscape of vast plain leading to a distant city radiating with light Bio...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Truth as a Poetic Lie" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white landscape full of dense trees and foliage, blotted out by something reminiscent ...

Todd Carpenter's (US based) "Shores of Next Year" is an oil painting that depicts a black and white landscape of vast plains with a small river winding into the distance and swirling...

"Undersky" depicts flashes of city lights. These small paintings have so much to say and we can say they beckon viewers to draw closer and observe all that artist has been able to co...

"Light Decaying" depicts a winding river through a mountainous terrain, not unlike the many vistas and terrains of Carpenter's adventures into nature. As a painter, I examine how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. The portrayal of light helps a painting to convey the atmosphere and mood of a scene, and is much of what enables a painting to convey depth and realism. Our perception of lighting features occurs largely through pathways in the brain that carry only black and white information, pathways which are distinct from areas that encode the colors and details we use to delineate specific objects. By painting in grayscale, I try to interact specifically with this region of our visual system, with the hope of conveying some of the spaciousness and emotional significance that light can imbue on scenes. Light, whether as the crisp contrast of a back-lit forest or the gray haze of an industrial landscape, is what defines a scene. Its power to communicate the feel of a place is the principle subject of my paintings. The Blue Azul Collection...

"One Of The Ways" depicts a densely populated grove. As with other of Carpenter's paintings, this scene invites viewers to look closer and also to go out to explore nature. As a painter, I examine how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. The portrayal of light helps a painting to convey the atmosphere and mood of a scene, and is much of what enables a painting to convey depth and realism. Our perception of lighting features occurs largely through pathways in the brain that carry only black and white information, pathways which are distinct from areas that encode the colors and details we use to delineate specific objects. By painting in grayscale, I try to interact specifically with this region of our visual system, with the hope of conveying some of the spaciousness and emotional significance that light can imbue on scenes. Light, whether as the crisp contrast of a back-lit forest or the gray haze of an industrial landscape, is what defines a scene. Its power to communicate the feel of a place is the principle subject of my paintings. The Blue Azul Collection...

"No Escape from Nature" depicts an early morning walk through the woods. Dappled sunlight makes this scene quite tranquil. As a painter, I examine how the depiction of light contributes to our experience of paintings. The portrayal of light helps a painting to convey the atmosphere and mood of a scene, and is much of what enables a painting to convey depth and realism. Our perception of lighting features occurs largely through pathways in the brain that carry only black and white information, pathways which are distinct from areas that encode the colors and details we use to delineate specific objects. By painting in grayscale, I try to interact specifically with this region of our visual system, with the hope of conveying some of the spaciousness and emotional significance that light can imbue on scenes. Light, whether as the crisp contrast of a back-lit forest or the gray haze of an industrial landscape, is what defines a scene. Its power to communicate the feel of a place is the principle subject of my paintings. The Blue Azul Collection...