Rema Ghuloum (b. 1978, North Hollywood, CA) lives and works in Los Angeles.

What initially inspired you to explore spatial contrasts?

Life. It is fragile, fleeting, and full of contrasts. I think a lot about how our internal and external worlds reflect one another. I am also a long-time Vipassana practitioner. Vipassana means to see things as they really are. It is a meditation practice that focuses on observing sensations within your body and mind. I approach my painting practice with that same lens; trying to create experiences, evoke sensations, and emotions through color and surface.

Can you describe how your approach to layering and sanding reflect your view on the passage of time?  

My paintings really evolve through stages. The first stage is the poured one. I pour diluted acryla-gouache paint onto the canvases while they are propped on the floor and approach them like a watercolor. It is very physical at this stage. I move them around to direct the pour in various directions. It is chaotic and really messy. I apply paint through different methods, from squeeze bottles to spray bottles, to buckets. There is a speed to this stage. It is fast. The grounds get developed over a few days or weeks depending on the scale of the canvases. Once they are dry, I prop them against the wall and begin the next stage which is very slow. I use the poured grounds as a structure that I build off of. They guide me in a sense, I then build the paintings up with thin oil paint; glazing and scumbling. I really don’t know what I am doing at this stage. I usually work on a painting a day. Then when it is dry, I sand the entire surface. In a way, I am letting go of what was there and allowing the remaining paint to become integral to the surface. It is geological in a sense. I build up the surface and excavate it over and over again. The painting is in charge. It emerges slowly over time, sort of like crystal.  

What role does intuition play in guiding each piece?

It is all intuitive in the sense that I listen to what the painting needs. It speaks to me. I set up parameters within the process, but beyond that, it becomes a call and response. I like getting lost and not knowing where I will be going next. It forces me to be completely present.  

In what way do you feel your edge work affects the overall mood of your pieces?  

The edges are a direct result of my process. At the end of a day or session in the studio, I put the remaining paint that is left on my palette onto the edge of the painting. It acts as a record as well as a framing device. The physicality of the paint on the edges also forces the rest of the painting to relate itself to it. It forces the center of the painting to recede as well. The edges also make me laugh. They are a reminder to not take things too seriously. It is just painting. 

How important are the tactile and physical engagement aspects of painting to you?

My paintings are very tactical and the physicality of the surface is as important as the color. I want the work to be experiential and felt so the different textures, marks, speeds viscosity of the paint, are all part of creating that. The paintings are incredibly different in person and even shift from different perspectives. The physicality of the surface isn’t translatable in an image, which is why I paint the way I do.  

What do you hope viewers feel when they encounter your work?

I can’t control what viewers feel, but hope they feel something.  

Do you have any rituals that support you in creating your work?

My meditation and reiki practice both inform my work directly. I show up for all of it. I approach my work with clear intention and the rest takes care of itself.  

Who are some artists throughout art history who have inspired you?  

Etel Adnan, Tibetan Buddhist monks (sand mandalas), Emma Kunz, the Tantrikas of Rajasthan, Hilma Af Klint, Mark Rothko, and Alma Thomas to name a few.  

Tell us about your two upcoming museum shows.

I will be participating in a group exhibition at the Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum in Long Beach as well as a group show at the Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art at Chaffey College. Both exhibitions open in February 2025.