michael torra

ABOUT ME

I was born in 1973 in Los Angeles to Cuban and Dutch parents. Raised in Southern California and the Netherlands, I attended Occidental College (Los Angeles), where my coursework included studio art classes, and Tufts University (Massachusetts).  I currently live and work in Washington, DC.

In college, I began as a sculptor, under the mentorship of the late George Baker.   Starting with making numerous maquettes out of strathmore cotton board, I eventually focused on wood and metal.   As in my later sculptures, I played with geometric shapes in three dimensions and assembled them in sometimes meticulously planned ways and other times haphazardly.   Realizing that band-saws, welding equipment and such would be impossible for me to afford, let alone house, once I graduated and left the campus sculpture studio behind, I took an introductory painting class taught by Linda Bessemer, which set me on the course to where I am today.

My paintings inherited the use of geometric from my sculpture. Some works a compilations of geometric forms intersecting each other, while others are as simple as stripes painted side by side. I often use bright, bold colors to balance the size of a smaller form against that of a larger one or relatively muted background fields of squares.

Since 2003, I've shown my works in the DC-area in group shows and a solo exhibit, and have produced numerous paintings on commission.

I am currently a member of Mid City Artists and have also been a member of the Triangle Artists Group, a Washington/Baltimore-area loose collective of queer artists.