Size: 16"x18"
Year: 2025
This piece explores change and ownership. It was created over a painting I found at a thrift store, dated 1977 and signed by DW Caldwell. I couldn’t find any information about them unfortunately, but the piece reminded me of the Pacific Coast. The original painting serves as a blueprint for the transformational layers now applied on top of it, with traces of its original layer still visible—reminders of what it has been.
I wanted this work to embody the natural and unnatural changes that unfold around us every day. By repurposing Caldwell’s painting, and including pixels of both organic and inorganic materials, I am intentionally co-opting it, much like we have done to the land itself—and especially around places like the Pacific Coast.
I recently visited Big Sur for the first time, and it was magical. The landscape transformed in seconds with sudden shifts in the wind tide—the marine layer played tricks on my eyes as I gazed out at the ocean. It made me wonder what it must have looked like before highways carved through it. It also reminded me that ownership is just an illusion and that the only certainty in life is change.
About the Artist
Taner Paşamehmetoğlu is a multidisciplinary artist based in Sacramento who uses storytelling and symbolism to explore themes of identity, belonging and sustainability—both of the environment and his heritage.
As a second-generation American who lived in New Mexico, Idaho and Utah before
settling in California, Taner’s life has been profoundly shaped by the dynamic landscapes and history of the American West. Nature not only inspires his work but often acts as a collaborator, as he incorporates repurposed materials and organic effects like wind, heat and rain into his creative practice.
Taner aims to create conversation and community and invites us to reflect on what it means to preserve the places we call home and the stories that connect us.
Find more from Taner at sacramento.shop/TanerPasamehmetoglu