Mohamed Omar

Mohamed “Mo” Omar’s favorite colors are red and orange. Somewhere between this spectrum lies “fiery red,” a shade Mo mixes so often he has given it a name. He is a devout colorist whose compositional content is often drawn from the emergent source of earthly color itself, like the setting sun. Just as the physical properties of light bend and scatter across the sky and reflect on bodies of water, Mo’s meticulous and poetic relationship to color creates powerful surfaces where beautiful forms emerge from abstract depths. He is deeply inspired by the color field canvases of Portland native Mark Rothko, as well as the villain defeating Superman. These unlikely heroes make up a powerful artistic team that address some of the questions of modern painting with superhero ease. When he’s not carefully layering, mixing, and re-naming colors, Mo’s alter ego works part-time at MOD Pizza. He recommends the anchovy pizza.