Tod Lychkoff is a Los Angeles native and artist who has lived in Downtown Los Angeles for many years, before downtown had started its urban renaissance - before downtown had become the "cool" place that it has, and is, becoming. He lived there when one of the predominant features of the area were the homeless, sitting, eating and sleeping on the sidewalks, lying in front of dilapidated store-fronts. This was a constant reminder that much of the area lacked an economic and urban vitality.
This is what Tod paints about. He is telling a story of the faceless, the homeless people that we often overlook and ignore, to the best of our ability. I asked Tod about the shredded newspapers in many of his paintings on the recent Downtown ArtWalk where he had a solo show in a large, cavernous gallery in the heart of the Gallery District. He said the shredded newspaper represents how we are often just numbers and anonymous names in an impersonal world that often overlooks the sea of humanity around it. Most of us are so busy running around with our own agenda that we don't take notice of the person lying in the alley or on the sidewalk. Maybe we don't even notice the person in the apartment or house next door who is living in distress. (paraphrased in my own words).
Tod's art is beautiful. Most of the canvases are quite large. They tell a very important story on canvases that are drenched in color and texture and have amazing compositions. The viewer is drawn in to these amazing creations that they stand in front of, and somehow one feels in awe of what is before them. I felt compelled to ask questions and to contemplate.
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