Art

Item Description

Born and raised in Southern California, painter Alex Couwenberg creates images that are inspired by the elements indigenous to his surroundings. From LA, Couwenberg’s work references and suggests the aesthetic associated with mid-century modernism, car culture, skateboards, and surfboards.  Not to leave out, paying homage to the historical styles of post-war art making associated with LA and SoCal throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.  Couwenberg’s paintings give a nod towards the Hard-edge abstractionists, the finish fetish, and the light and space artists.  Not content to replicate, he uses the sensibility of Eames-era design and hard-edge geometric abstraction as points of departure for creating paintings. His process, an additive and reductive series of moves and passes, creates multilayered environments that are deep and sensual.  He harnesses these ideas into harmonious results, reflecting the visual landscape of his environment.  

A graduate from Art Center College of Design and The Claremont Graduate School, Couwenberg worked under the guidance of Karl Benjamin, one of the leading figures in the Southern California based school of Hard-edge geometric abstraction.  Benjamin was instrumental in the development of his painting style, process, and philosophy. Couwenberg naturally embraced this sensibility and applied it to his art making practices.  By instilling the discipline and work ethic associated with these philosophies into his process, the paintings began to mature and develop a visual voice.  The vocabulary references the dedication toward craft, process, and the progression of concepts and techniques.

Couwenberg’s paintings have been shown in several solo and group exhibitions throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia.  His work can be found in numerous public, private, corporate, and museum collections around the world.  Recent museum acquisitions include the Long Beach Museum of Art, Lancaster Museum of Art and History, Laguna Art Museum, Crocker Museum of Art, and the Daum Museum in Missouri.  In 2007, Couwenberg was awarded the prestigious Joan Mitchell Foundation Award for his achievements in painting and was recently featured as the subject of LA based film maker Eric Minh Swenson, which focuses on the artists life and studio practices.

Couwenberg’s artwork is painted on a Brawner surfboard.

Item Special Note

Payment will be processed post-contest and winner will be contacted by the resort. 

Packing, shipping, and handling are not included. Boards can be picked up at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel or the purchaser can arrange for shipping. Boards will be available for pick-up and shipping after Monday, January 3, 2022. Boards must be picked up no later than Monday, January 31, 2022.