Henry Curchod paints vivid, tension-filled scenes where figures seem caught between memory and myth, reality and dream. Drawing from his Californian upbringing and Iranian–Kurdish heritage, he channels a hybrid visual language that blends personal narrative with global cultural reverberations . His process begins with light sketches in oil stick, followed by gestural brushwork dipped in turpentine, which blurs and diffuses lines. The final touches—charcoal work and surface adjustments—bring clarity and contrast, creating canvases that pulse with controlled chaos and emotional resonance . Curchod’s compositions teem with theatrical tension: figures wrestle, collapse, flee, or hover in stands of ambiguous action. These moments emerge from his habit of notebook sketching—quick drawings made from daily observations that morph, over time, into a dreamlike, anecdotal reality . Through his refined layering technique and rich color palette, Curchod captures the instability of identity and the unpredictability of life. His work maintains a poetic ambiguity that invites viewers to step into unsettled psychological terrain, where each scene feels precariously poised between narrative and abstraction. ...
