Provenance
Acquired by American Legacy Fine Arts directly from the artist
Artist Statement
"The chef at work is in a state of 'flow' also known as 'the zone.' A mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus. Characterized by complete absorption in what one does, it can be the ultimate experience of harnessing emotions in service of performance. I wanted the diamond pattern in the stainless steel to represent the day-in-day-out repetition in which this worker does his job. Making it a kind of mastery in progress. This moment of absorbed work preparing another order will be just like the orders tomorrow, the next day, and the next. And this can be a kind of paradise given your state of mind is in flow, whatever your work."
— Tony Peters
Description
The painting reflects the California social realist movement. Dinah’s Restaurant is known for its homestyle cooking. The establishment opened in 1959 in the Westchester suburb of Los Angeles where it became an LA landmark for its futurist Googie architecture and for its iconic bucket of fried chicken that hovered over its lot. However, Dinah's landlord sold the property to developers, and rather than closing, on May 6, 2024 the restaurant moved to nearby Culver City under the new name, Dinah's Kitchen.
Exhibited Downtown Impressions: Plein Air Perspectives of Los Angeles, in collaboration with California Art Club at Ebell of Los Angeles, February 6 - March 16, 2025
"The External and The Contemplative" at American Legacy Fine Arts, Pasadena, CA, October 24-November 21, 2015
