A Playful Canvas: Brent Estabrook’s Los Angeles Dreamscapes
In Los Angeles, a city known for its boundless creative energy and vibrant culture, artist Brent Estabrook has established a unique niche in the art world with his larger-than-life paintings. His works, which feature plush toys rendered in vivid colours and intricate textures, encourage viewers to reconnect with the uninhibited curiosity of childhood while subtly exploring complex social themes. With a light-hearted yet thought-provoking approach, Estabrook’s art challenges us to reimagine the world through the eyes of a dreamer.
Estabrook’s journey into fine art is far from conventional. After graduating from dental school and facing the daunting prospect of student debt, he took an unexpected leap into the world of painting. Frustrated by financial burdens, he began with oversized depictions of currency, ironically capturing the allure of money while subverting its power through his whimsical style. These early works became a launchpad for his artistic career, leading him to Los Angeles, where his studio has become a hub for his imaginative explorations. Now, his paintings are populated with plush toys from his youth—bears, bunnies, and other familiar faces that serve as symbols of joy, nostalgia, and the dreams we carry with us into adulthood.
Los Angeles, with its rich diversity and its openness to reinvention, provides an ideal backdrop for Estabrook’s work. “There are two things I love about LA: the weather and the people,” he says. “The sunshine is great for my creativity, and the people are so creatively open and diverse. That diversity always inspires me to try something new.” This city, with its cultural mosaic and free-spirited ethos, has allowed Estabrook to expand his artistic boundaries, experimenting with new techniques and styles that reflect the vibrant environment around him.
In his studio, Estabrook embraces a playful, almost childlike approach to his art, yet he combines it with the technical precision honed during his time in dental school. “LA is a city with no rules in the sense that you can do whatever you want, creatively,” he explains. This ethos of freedom is reflected in his most recent series, Quilts and cRaZy stuFFed aniMALs, where oversized plush toys dominate the canvases, evoking both humour and nostalgia. Each piece is an invitation to viewers to step back into a world where imagination reigns and everyday worries fade away.
The LA art scene, ever-evolving and refreshingly eclectic, has been a powerful influence on Estabrook. It’s not just the galleries or the exhibitions, but the relationships he has cultivated with fellow artists that have profoundly shaped his journey. Collectors and creatives alike have inspired him, especially Nobu San, a prominent collector, and friends like Michael Brandrup and Matt Gondek, who have impacted his growth at the intersection of art, business, and camaraderie. His recent solo show at the Long Beach Museum of Art was a defining moment, and he attributes his success to the artist community that has rallied around him. “It’s the artist friends I have here that have propelled me forward,” he reflects.
Estabrook draws inspiration from his surroundings, yet his favourite place to create remains his studio. “I’m most inspired by my art and the evolution of my career,” he admits. For him, it’s a space where ideas that once seemed improbable take shape. But beyond his studio, Estabrook finds creative fuel across LA, from the serene walkways of the Huntington Library to the bustling exhibitions at The Broad and the vibrant beaches of Manhattan Beach. These spaces, each with its distinct character, feed into the visual and thematic elements of his work.
The playful essence of Los Angeles—the city’s unbridled embrace of dreams and reinvention—permeates Estabrook’s art and his daily life. “I get to spend my day creating, which was a childhood dream,” he says. This spirit of imagination and wonder is more than an aesthetic; it’s a philosophy. Whether he’s crafting a humorous stuffed animal or giving a fresh twist to a more solemn subject, Estabrook’s work is imbued with a palpable joy. It’s a sentiment you can feel when standing before his paintings, a reminder that art is an experience that connects us to our shared memories and our most hopeful aspirations.
As for the future, Estabrook sees the LA art scene expanding in thrilling directions, with a younger, dynamic crowd bringing fresh energy to exhibitions and galleries. He has several exciting projects on the horizon, including a move to a new studio in the South Bay area and potential mural installations in Hollywood and downtown. He’s also launching an archival show centred on his Skulls series, a collection that dates back to his early days in dental school, showcasing the evolution of his technique and artistic vision.
Most recently, Estabrook has ventured into the world of luxury plushies with his Smiles line—a whimsical, high-quality teddy bear with an upside-down face. This quirky creation, inspired by his art, embodies the belief that seeing the world from a different perspective can be a source of joy and creativity. For Estabrook, this line is about bringing fine art into everyday life, a way of spreading positivity and celebrating the unique spark that each of us brings to the world.
From downtown galleries to hillside studio parties, Estabrook’s Los Angeles is a vibrant tapestry of creativity, collaboration, and boundless possibility. For those who wish to experience the city through his eyes, he recommends starting with coffee at Verve, exploring The Broad and MOCA downtown, hiking in Griffith Park, and ending the day with dinner at Matsuhisa. It’s a fitting itinerary for a city that, much like Estabrook’s art, thrives on the intersections of nostalgia and novelty, structure and spontaneity.
In Los Angeles, Brent Estabrook has found a home—a place where he can indulge his playful curiosity and let his imagination soar. As he continues to push the boundaries of his craft, his art will undoubtedly remain a vibrant testament to the city that has inspired him to dream bigger, create bolder, and embrace the childlike wonder that lies at the heart of his work.
