The palm trees, cul de sacs and tract housing of Southern California’s San Fernando Valley suburbs are the backdrop for the paintings of Danny Heller. Heller, who was raised in one such suburb (Northridge, California), documents these neighborhoods in his artwork, particularly their rows of mid-Century houses and lawns lined with muscle cars and manicured shrubs.

But these decades-old developments have begun to fade as new McMansions in adjacent suburbs sprout up into the cloudless Southern California skyline. The muscle cars have been replaced with SUVs, and the manicured shrubs have been abandoned in favor of mile-long lawns behind several-feet tall wrought iron fences. Heller also documents the signs, urban landmarks and miles of Los Angeles sprawl, but it’s his suburban series that really comes alive.

There is a nostalgia about his work as well, and a loneliness that permeates his paintings. Rarely do we see people in Heller’s world, and when we do, they are doing little more than going about their business. They are never engaged in conversation or some kind of meaningful connection. The artist is detached from these moments, yet also deeply connected to them. And therefore so are we, as if viewing these images from a long lost memory or hazy daydream.

For more info on Heller’s work, check out his website, or see some of his work on display at La Luz de Jesus or Terence Rogers Fine Art.

Click the thumbnails below for the full-size image.

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