Jake Trujillo
DETAILS:
American, b. 1988
“Each painting emerges gradually, as passages of color, texture, and form settle into a layered conversation with the landscape.”
– Jake Trujillo
Trujillo’s process is built through fragments, with each painting developing layer by layer through a careful interplay of drawing, texture, and color. Working from both observation and intuition, he allows the surface to evolve over time, creating a sense of depth and movement that feels responsive rather than predetermined. The result is a painting practice shaped by accumulation, where every mark contributes to an image that remains in dialogue with the landscape while gradually becoming something more atmospheric and dreamlike.
Painting of the city lights of Santa Fe under a crescent moon.
MEDIA: Oil over acrylic on panel
FRAME: Handmade frame included
SIZE: 16w x 20h
Painting of a full moon over rocky cliffs near Ghost Ranch and Abiquiú NM.
MEDIA: Oil over acrylic on panel
FRAME: Handmade frame included
SIZE: 18w x 24h
Biography
Born and raised in Santa Fe, Jake Trujillo draws from the region’s desert terrain, shifting light, and quiet visual rhythms to create paintings that extend beyond conventional landscape representation. His practice combines traditional landscape painting with contemporary abstraction and subtle psychedelic undertones, resulting in works that are at once rooted in place and open to interpretation. Through layered passages of oil and acrylic, Trujillo allows form, color, and atmosphere to accumulate gradually, giving each painting a sense of transformation and depth. His hand-built frames further reinforce the artisanal quality of the work, extending the image into an object shaped with care and intention.
“I build from fragments, layer by layer, letting drawing, texture, and color evolve through observation and intuition. Each painting develops as a response to what is already there, allowing the landscape to shift into something more atmospheric, more layered, and more dreamlike.”
– Jake Trujillo