The sense of mystery and intrigue is palpable as we take a voyeuristic peek into the world of Los Angeles artist Seth Armstrong in The Air is Thick. Viewers are swept up in a cinematic narrative that visits the hidden shoreline coves of Fleming-era Bond and the stylised night-time cityscapes of glossy modern noir, while the artist’s seeming intrusion onto private moments and his foray into the murkier corners of city living gives the whole story a seedy undertone.

Armstrong, who learned to paint in Holland and later studied at the Californian Centre for Arts, isn’t afraid to directly reference film in his work, such as the perilous translocation of Bullitt‘s San Francisco hills chase scene to a sleepy Italian town, or a diver emerging Andress-like from the foamy surf. From glamorous scenes, Armstrong cuts to the drama of domesticity, using his skill with oils to present moments of tension and release which are absorbing and uncomfortable in equal measure. Get the whole story at L.A.’s Thinkspace Gallery before 18 April.

@thinkspaceart

Seth Armstrong,
Bullitt In Italy, 2014
Oil on paper
22″ × 30″, 56 × 76 cm

Seth Armstrong,
Nude Reclining, 2015
Oil on wood
18″ × 24″, 46 × 61 cm

Seth Armstrong,
Dusk From the 27th Floor, 2015
Oil on paper adhered to wood
48″ × 32″, 122 × 81 cm

Seth Armstrong,
Cavalier, 2015
Oil on canvas
13″ × 18″, 33 × 46 cm

Seth Armstrong,
The Wrestlers, 2015
Oil on wood,
60″ × 40″, 152 × 102 cm

Seth Armstrong,
Glass of Water, 2014
Oil on wood panel
4″ × 4″, 10 × 10 cm

Seth Armstrong,
Nick’s Room, 2015
Oil on wood
20″ × 16″, 51 × 41 cm

Seth Armstrong,
Black Couch, 2014
Oil on wood
16″ × 12″, 41 × 30 cm

Seth Armstrong,
No Recession In the Skin Trade, 2015
Oil on wood
18″ × 24″, 46 × 61 cm

Seth Armstrong,
Pinto, 2015
Oil on wood panel
4″ × 4″, 10 × 10 cm

Seth Armstrong,
Spearfisher, 2014
Oil on wood panel
4″ × 4″, 10 × 10 cm