23 Year Old Artist Delfin Finley’s First Solo Show Is A Huge Hit

delfin finley solo show

He’s young, Black and supremely talented. Delfin Finley is the brother of gifted artist/muralist/photographer Koshin Finley and son of LA’s Renegade ‘Gangsta’ Gardner Ron Finley. His first solo show Some Things Never Change has introduced him to the art world and they are fully embracing him by buying up his pieces left and right.

Delfin Finley’s First Solo Show

Delfin Finley's First Solo Show

Showing now at the Lora Schlesinger Gallery in Santa Monica, Some Things Never Change, features 15 impressive oil paintings (12 of which have already sold) by the 23 year old Los Angeles artist, who has yet to graduate from Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design (my alma mater).

delfin finley art
Installation view

Coming from a creative Southern California family, his brother is photographer, painter and muralist Koshin Finley and his father is Los Angeles’ Guerilla Gardner and the man behind The Ron Finley Project.  Ron’s garden in LA is embellished with murals and paintings by both his talented sons.

Delfin, Ron and Koshin Finley

The gallery describes the artist and show as follows:
Delfin Finley is a figurative painter passionate about creating a body of work that reflects the racism that permeates our society. The title of the exhibition Some Things Never Change, references the events that people of color have encountered, both in the past, and in present day. His portraits reverently depict individuals, with the acknowledgment that they are often the targets of violence in a society that shows extreme bias against them. Despite their individual experiences, they are linked by instances in their lives in which they felt they were not in control of their present or their future.

contemporary art
Installation view
Installation view

In the painting It’s Only A Matter of Time, a portrait of the artist’s father, the subject represents all men of color. Pensively holding a shovel in his hand, the figure alludes to the danger that black men face on a daily basis. The shovel can be used to prepare a grave, or can be raised in defiance; a decision that exists subconsciously with every action and subtle movement that people of color make. Delfin’s masterful depiction and the veneration of his subjects hopes to capture the beauty within them, and to inspire a hope for change so that the strengths and talents of people of color can have the freedom to flourish and grow.

All of the pieces in the show:

Unarmed Truth, 2016 SOLD
oil, acrylic, and spray paint on canvas, 59-1/2 x 95-1/2″- framed
Delfin Finley's First Solo Show

Not in a Month of Sundays, 2017
oil on canvas, 58-1/2 x 73-1/2″ -framed
contemporary black artists

Some Things Never Change, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 106-1/2 x 61-1/2″ – framed
some things never change delfin finley

Forlorn, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 73-1/2 x 49-1/2″ – framed
contemporary art

It’s Only a Matter of Time, 2016 SOLD
oil on canvas, 73-1/2 x 56-1/2″ – framed
figurative paintings delfin finley

It’s Always Something, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 73-1/2 x 49-1/2″ – framed
oil painting

Unanswered Prayers, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 25-3/8 x 21-3/8″ -framed
delfin finley paintings

No Promises, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 13-3/8 x 13-3/8″ – framed
delfin finley art

Fixed in Your Ways, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 25-3/8 x 21-3/8″ -framed
portraiture oil on canvas

Never Nothing, 2017
oil on canvas, 25-3/8 x 21-3/8″ -framed
contemporary Black artists

It’s All the Same, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 25-3/8 x 21-3/8″ -framed
realism painting

Grievance, 2017
oil on canvas, 13-3/8 x 13-3/8″ – framed

The Good Ol’ Days Can Kill a Dream, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 13-3/8 x 13-3/8″ – framed
contemporary portrait paintings

Dead Man Walking, 2015 SOLD
oil on canvas, 37-1/2 x 25-1/2″ – framed

Back to Black, 2017 SOLD
oil on canvas, 13-3/8 x 13-3/8″ – framed

Exhibition Dates: July 22 – August 26, 2017
LORA SCHLESINGER GALLERY
SANTA MONICA, CA
This event is free and open to the public.

More paintings by Delfin Finley

Although not included in the show, these pieces of Delfin’s are worth sharing:

delfin finley
Maybe When It Snows In Summer, oil on canvas, 32″ x 40″
Every day, oil on panel, 18 x 24″

And these two wonderful portraits of his father, Ron, who is a frequent subject in Delfin’s work.

Renagade, oil on canvas, 12″ x 12″
Delfin Finley's First Solo Show
Portrait of Ron Finley, oil on canvas, 16″ x 20″

Lest you think he only paints portraits African Americans, let me show you some of his other fabulous figurative portraits:
delfin finley art

figurative paintings

About the Artist

artist Delfin Finley
artist Delfin Finley

Delfin Finley was born in Los Angeles, California. He is actively pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. He has exhibited in numerous exhibitions nationally including exhibitions in Colorado, Oregon and Iowa. In 2016 he was published on the cover of Studio Visit Magazine, and included in the City of Los Angeles African American Heritage Month Calendar & Cultural Guide.

Delfin Finley Art

all images courtesy of the artist, Ron Finley and Lora Schlesinger Gallery