Los Angeles-based artist Cole Sternberg (b.1979) approaches printmaking as a way to investigate environmental causes, human rights, and the ways we are “forever and inevitably linked with nature.” These numbered editions often begin with text inscribed directly onto the surface before being layered with fields of color—a process that literally buries language beneath paint, creating what appears as abstract composition while concealing urgent commentary on climate change and social justice. Sternberg’s prints, which include portfolios like “my morning ramble seems a dream” created for his exhibition at El Segundo Museum of Art, demonstrate his commitment to making politically engaged work accessible beyond gallery walls. His method asks viewers to consider what remains visible and what gets concealed in contemporary discourse. As Sternberg notes, “I hope viewers are motivated by the beauty to explore what it means to exist and how one can honor and protect the beauty surrounding them.” Look closely at the surface of these prints; trace where color shifts, where edges soften—you might sense the hidden text beneath, present but unreadable, much like truths we choose to see or ignore.

2015
Archival pigment print on paper, 50/10
22" h x 32" w

Artwork donated by Jane Glassman in honor of Kelsey Lee Offield’s father,
Paxon H. Offield