Archer Defterios is a Greek-American artist based in Los Angeles, California, known for his richly layered, process-driven work that explores the interplay of color, light, and texture. Using a mix of acrylics, oils, and even fire, Defterios creates surfaces that appear minimal at first glance but reveal complex underlayers upon closer inspection. His work often conceals vivid color palettes beneath restrained compositions, encouraging a slower, more contemplative viewing experience. In June 2025, debut solo exhibition, Under Marble, featured a body of work that emphasized materiality and process, deeply informed by the textures and landscapes of Greece.
Defterios’ work trends towards textural, vivid palettes - along with his unconventional use of materials - Defterios’ abstractions are the result of a cyclic process which involves returning to the work several times – adding, subtracting, and altering textures throughout the creative process. Unlike many of his other works, Westerners is purely an oil painting. Using thinned out paint, Defterios creates the splashes and layering. Here the artist specifically and intentionally uses a division line – or what many would refer to as a horizon - to create what he calls a “hierarchy” within the painting. Using thinned out paint, Defterios creates the splashes and layering.
This work relates to the idea of an explosion – a metaphor in terms of the energy that seems to force its way off the canvas. Through a layered, repetitive approach to painting, Defterios invites the viewer to look beyond the immediate, much like uncovering what lies beneath the surface.
Known for his process-driven art, Defterios utilizes tools that allow for scraping, pressing, or incising into the paint layers. His artworks are noted for bridging his love for Greek history and modern design, producing an eclectic aesthetic that feels both innovative and steeped in tradition
“I want viewers to imagine beyond the physical borders of the canvases. There is no physical limit to my work.” - Archer Defterios