Painting Play: Why This Artist Uses His Non-Dominant Hand to Express Inner Child

NYC-based artist Adam Umbach paints like a kid—on purpose.

Known for juxtaposing photorealistic everyday objects with thick, expressionistic strokes, Adam uses his non-dominant hand to render playful lines and forms that feel lifted straight from a childhood drawing. The result is a body of work that blurs technical precision with unfiltered emotional memory—an artistic conversation between past and present.

“My inspiration comes from collective nostalgia,” Adam says. “I might paint a boat, a rubber duck, or a pink flamingo lawn ornament—objects tied to my own memories but also recognizable to others. Using my non-dominant hand reintroduces the freedom and imperfection of early creativity.”

While the subjects—teddy bears, Legos, lawn toys—evoke humor and comfort, there’s also a quiet emotional weight. A lone object on canvas might conjure joy or loneliness, sometimes both.

Take his painting, Father & Child. Rooted in memories of the artist’s early years, this work offers an addition to the long history of the Madonna and child sculpture by Michelangelo, while also referencing Umbach’s own childhood when his father was the primary caregiver. The threatening rain clouds release droplets, though both real mallards and Lego-inspired ducks would be impervious to the rain. When Umbach lost his father at seventeen, adapting to adversity was a necessary skill, much like “water off a duck’s back.” At times, looking at this painting, he now also sees his wiser self-leading a more anxious self out of the rain.

Or, Barbie World, inspired by the 2023 Barbie phenomenon and childhood memories of building Lego sets. A Lego T-Rex sits at the center: depending on the viewer’s perspective, it’s either grinning or grimacing—caught somewhere between joy and anxiety. For Adam, it also speaks to gender roles, with a traditionally “boy” toy thriving in a feminine-coded universe.

Adam’s work is rich with contrasts: permanence vs. impermanence, innocence vs. experience, control vs. play. And through his use of non-dominant hand expressionism, he invites viewers to reconnect with their own inner child, however bittersweet. He is currently represented by Cavalier Galleries.