Metaphysical Portals Emerge Within Forests in Eli McMullen’s Otherworldly Paintings
“Inner Escape” (2025), acrylic on panel, 16 × 20 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Thinkspace Projects, shared with permission
Metaphysical Portals Emerge Within Forests in Eli McMullen’s Otherworldly Paintings
April 30, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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Roaming the metaphysical spaces between dreams and reality, Eli McMullen draws on the familiarity of suburban and wooded landscapes to bid us into dreamlike worlds. Plumbing the interplay of perception and imagination, his acrylic paintings invite us into moments of wonder and transcendence.
The Richmond, Virginia-based artist’s forthcoming solo exhibition, Sleep Walk at Thinkspace Projects, explores relationships between nostalgia, spirituality, nature, and psychological phenomena. He celebrates “fleeting moments that feel suspended in time, glimmers that quietly urge to be searched,” the gallery says.
“Desire Path Finder” (2025), acrylic on panel, 16 × 20 inches
Sleep Walk welcomes viewers into nighttime forest scenes that glow with geometric light forms, altar-like architecture, and prismatic reflections. Titles like “Desire Path Finder,” “Liminal Bridge,” and “Kismet Gateway” highlight the essence of links, portals, metamorphoses, and in-between spaces.
The show runs May 3 to 24 in Los Angeles. See more on McMullen’s website and Instagram.
“Dream Weaver” (2025), acrylic on panel, 20 × 24 inches
“Embers Rest” (2025), acrylic on panel, 18 × 24 inches
“Draped Shrine” (2025), acrylic on panel, 11 × 14 inches
“Liminal Bridge” (2025), acrylic on panel, 16 × 20 inches
“Fractal Grove” (2025), acrylic on panel, 11 × 14 inches
“Kismet Gateway” (2025), acrylic on panel, 16 × 20 inches
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