Based out of Arizona, Chillag captures the blown out crisp desert light so well in his portraits, of which the completed areas are immensely photorealistic. When viewed in person one can see how textural they become- unexpected swirls and intentional fingerprints become visible on the surface of oil paint so thick it is nearly sculptural. The unfinished areas lend a paint-by-number quality to the paintings, drawing viewers into the process of the imagery taking shape. Certain paintings even bear notes the artist makes to himself, such as a curator’s phone number jotted down on the canvas, drawing the viewer further into the artist’s studio process, the thoughts and small moments behind the scenes.