Andrew Max Modlin Brings His Global Vision to West Hollywood with “Through the Brush”

Painter Andrew Max Modlin invites West Hollywood into his world this June with Through the Brush, a solo pop-up exhibition that translates his travels into sweeping, large-scale landscapes. The show opens Saturday, June 7, with a reception from 4 to 9 p.m., and will remain on view through June 21 at 411 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Curated by noted critic Peter Frank, the exhibit features vivid 60-by-72-inch canvases inspired by Modlin’s experiences in places like Iceland, Hawaii, Mexico, and Amsterdam. The works offer viewers not just snapshots of distant locations, but immersive environments that reflect the artist’s emotional connection to each place.

“I immerse myself in what palette the location makes me feel, and that immediately comes out in my drawings,” Modlin said. “It’s bringing that experience back to my studio that makes each painting so diverse.”

Modlin describes travel as fundamental to both his practice and his perspective. He sees the cities and landscapes he visits not as backdrops, but as integral parts of his identity. His current focus on Amsterdam, where he spent time living and working, aligns with the city’s 750th anniversary—a detail that subtly grounds the exhibition in shared cultural history.

Modlin’s process begins digitally, using an iPad to explore form and color without constraint. “There’s something precious about a blank canvas, but that sense of preciousness doesn’t exist on the iPad,” he said. The freedom of digital sketching allows him to experiment without hesitation, before moving into the slower, more deliberate rhythm of painting by hand.

“Once I move to the canvas, the process shifts,” he said. “It becomes more about the physicality of the paint and the act of painting itself than the original composition.”

Each painting evolves through layered gestures, a visual conversation that unfolds over time. The result, he says, is work that reveals itself gradually—details surfacing up close, and emotional resonance building from a distance.

Modlin is perhaps best known for co-founding MedMen and Kreation Organic Juicery, but he describes painting as his original calling—one he felt pulled back toward despite his success in other industries. “The fact that I wasn’t painting haunted me all those years,” he said.

After relocating to Amsterdam, Modlin refined his artistic process and recommitted to his practice. Returning to Los Angeles, he was intentional about debuting his work in West Hollywood, where he lives and has deep community ties. “I’ve always believed in the power of starting things within our own community,” he said.

That belief shaped his decision to open MedMen in West Hollywood—making him the city’s first openly queer dispensary owner—and now shapes his approach to art.

While Through the Brush marks his first solo exhibition, Modlin sees it as a starting point, not a culmination. “For me, success now means seeing my work shown around the world, in spaces that elevate and challenge it,” he said. “I’d love for that visibility to open the door to working even larger—on a scale that allows for something deeply expressive and immersive.”