Jonas Wood: Drawings

Two decades of intricately layered works on paper from an artist known for his contemporary still lifes

Comprising 100 works on paper, Drawings: 2003–2023 is the most expansive collection of Jonas Wood's artistic practice to date. This body of work traces the artist's trajectory back to his early days in Los Angeles, where he worked alongside painter Laura Owens and sculptor Matt Johnson. It was during this formative period that Wood's distinct visual language began to take shape: a language that would come to define his mature practice. Drawing played a central role in Wood's process, serving as both preparatory sketches for his collages and paintings, as well as independent works of art in their own right. At the core of Wood's prolific output lies a deep appreciation for the handmade—a reverence reflected in his engagement with found photographs, manual projectors and half-erased pencil sketches. Although rendered in a flattened perspective, the resulting tableaux are deeply layered, revealing traces of the artist's hand, miscellaneous references and the transformative nature of various artistic media. The comprehensive catalog features an essay by Douglas Fogle and a conversation between Laura Owens and the artist.
The Los Angeles-based artist Jonas Wood (born 1977) creates paintings, drawings and prints, which mostly comprise intricate still lifes and interior domestic scenes. Throughout his compositions, the artist draws from art history, memory, and the people, objects and interiors that comprise his life. His work is boldly colored, detailed and graphic, and often features basketballs, ceramics and lush plants.