Todd Westover

Bio

Todd Westover is an internationally exhibited artist, known for his distinctive “flower power” style of paintings. His work has been shown in Barcelona, Spain; Paris, France; Venice, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; Osaka, Japan; Dubai, UAE; New York, NY; as well as the greater Los Angeles, CA area. Todd has been a resident of the famous Brewery Arts Colony and has opened his studio to the public for the bi-annual Brewery Art Walk for 9 years. 

   The flowers in Westover’s work are more than a flower—they’re an emblem, a brushstroke, a doodle he has drawn since childhood, when Pop Art and Flower Power imagery of the ‘60s and ‘70s left a lasting imprint on Todd’s design aesthetic. 

   With the deft utilization of the flower brushstroke, he is able to create portraits, houses, scenics, nudes, vases on tables, and abstracts. The repetitive rounded curves and flowing circles have a familiar sensuality that most people, consciously or not, find appealing and comforting. His work all share the same joyous iconographic doodles of his youth, thereby fulfilling his desire to bring a bit more joy into the world.

   In 2013, Todd started painting that doodle with his two young daughters. His work quickly jumped from making wrapping paper for children’s birthday party presents to painting murals at Mt. Washington elementary school and utility boxes, and then exhibiting work in retail spaces and galleries. 

   While exhibiting in Barcelona in 2023, Westover was commissioned by the gallery to paint a mural, which remains there to date. He has also created several commissioned works and in 2024 began hosting celebratory “unveiling” events. 

   Todd Westover’s work is a celebration of life, with an organic flower brushstroke that makes him and other people happy. 

 

 

Artist Statement

I think that art exists to make us feel something. That’s why we’re all here. To experience stuff. Feel things. Express ourselves. Art acts as a spring board for that. I feel compelled to create, and try to paint every day, as I have had this feeling my whole life. I truly feel that it is my mission on the planet - to make beauty, spread joy.

   The flowers I paint are more than a flower. It is an emblem almost, a bit of a nod to the past for those of a certain age, a subtle reminder or memory of a free-spirited time in history, reworked and revamped to invoke a mood through what has become my signature lyrical style. I use a somewhat muted color palette, often leaning towards the unusual tones popularized in the 70s. Avocado green, burnt orange, mustard, teal, warm browns...I suppose it is somewhat a post-modern palette, yet it seems to go with any kind of décor in any location.  

   I use acrylic paint, it dries quickly, and allows me to layer colors easily. I usually start a painting with a rough idea, a composition in mind, a limited pallet. But, at some point the painting takes over, and shows it has a mind and soul of its own. It becomes subconscious, forms flowing, happy accidents stumbling one onto another, organically creating the perfect outcome. The brush strokes create so much more than a flower – it brings to life the visual expression of what is inside of me, and stimulates positive reactions in viewers as well, bringing out their happiness and love of life.

   My work does not have any political or socio-economic message. It isn’t trying to make any kind of statement, and is not affected by the news or current events. It is a celebration of life, as flowers are a symbol of renewal and regrowth, a place of retreat, something that makes people happy. Enjoy life. That’s the message.