Greg LAHTI ✿

Greg Lahti is a artist in the Little Rock area. His oil paintings possess a narrative quality, likely attributed to his many years working behind the scenes in theater. He has helped design, build, and paint productions with the Arkansas Art Center Children’s Theater, and has also contributed to several programs at The Rep, and The Opera at Wildwood Park for the Arts.

Primarily a figure painter, Lahti often dramatically costumes his figures and uses colors that are saturated, rich, and bright. The space surrounding the figures shares aspects of a theatrical backdrop, while often containing elements of abstraction or of an alternate reality; yet his figures, contrastingly, are clearly of this time.
More recently, Lahti has evolved to include landscape painting, inspired by rustic, natural scenes around Arkansas, and the colorful, eclectic architecture of the French Quarter in his travels to New Orleans. His landscapes, much like his figures, are imbued with a lively musical quality of brush strokes and color. Whether figurative or landscapes, the narrative of each piece and his passion for painting predominates.

Although primarily self taught, Lahti has been inspired by every art class and workshop from grade school to present day. He has always had a passion for museums and galleries, books and magazines, and especially enjoys the insight he finds painting with artistic peers.
Lahti's art has been recognized and rewarded in juried shows and competitions both locally and outside the Little Rock area. Four published novels have his art on the cover and illustrations within. His art has been featured in music videos, a line of clothing, and album covers. His paintings can also be widely found in hotels, restaurants, and homes. He regularly participates in a variety of Art Shows and Festivals throughout the year, and consistently contributes paintings for charity auctions. The majority of his newer work can be found at Gallery 221 in downtown Little Rock.