Trevor Goss

Impressionists at the turn of the 20th century employed the Newtonian theory of light that ushered in the paintings of Monet and Manet. Landscapes were reflected in water and the world was viewed upside down. These forms acted upon one another to create an impression of shapes and objects. The world was broken down into reflection and became light emitting.

At the dawn of the 21st century, Trevor Goss also embraces a world of light. But where the Impressionists painted about light, Goss’ holographic paintings are light. Utilizing light diffractive materials, applied by various methods to the canvas, the surface of Goss’ work is dematerialized from solid to kinetic creating colored light similar to that of a rainbow. Ever-changing color fields are conjured by even the subtlest of movements made by the viewer or alterations in the light source. Where for the Impressionists pigment color was reflected off paint to create an impression of light and color that reproduced a moment in time, the diffraction of light in Goss’ paintings is time in motion.

Trevor was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. He first remembers encountering his love of art at the age of three and received private art instruction until he was 17. He obtained his formal education at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, the Michaelis School of Fine Arts at Cape Town where he was awarded the prestigious Cape Salon award in painting and sculpture and greaduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1967 and the Master of Fine Arts Program at Hornsey School of Fine Arts in London.

In the course of his career, Trevor has established his art studio in such varied locations throughout the world as Cape Town, London, Ibiza, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and now Palm Springs. His work has been acquired by private collections worldwide including Cape Town, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, New York and Paris.

His paintings have been exhibited in the US at one-man and group shows including the Venice Art Walk; Built Architecture in Los Angeles; the La Jolla Hilton; Bistango Gallery Restaurant, Studio Gallery and the City Hall in Irvine; the Entertainment Design Complex in Marina del Rey; Lithium, Consortium and Quartek galleries in Venice; and his own galleries in Santa Barbara and Palm Springs.

He is also prominent in the entertainment industry including holographic background and installation commissions for the Oprah Winfrey Show, Mariah Carey, Johnny Cash, Cher, Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, Jane’s Addiction, Sting, MTV Grammy awards, VH1 music awards, the Atlanta Summer Olympics, the Salt Lake Winter Olympics and Rhino Records headquarters in Santa Monica.