The Art of Becoming is the online gallery and studio archive of Littleton S. Irby, a contemporary artist working in Emeryville, California. It is built as a place to sit with the work rather than scroll past it. Portraits, abstract paintings, painted mannequins, flower studies, and mixed-media pieces are gathered here alongside the writing, notes, and journal chapters that surround them — so the story of each piece stays attached to the image.
The site is made for people who care about what a painting is carrying: collectors looking for original work, families commissioning a portrait of someone they love, curators and galleries reviewing the artist's record, and anyone who came looking for something honest about change. Every artwork page includes its medium, dimensions, year, and availability, along with the emotional theme behind it. Commission requests are taken through a written conversation rather than a checkout button, because the work begins with a story.
Everything on this site — the paintings, the photographs of them, and the writing — is made by the artist. Nothing is licensed or borrowed. Work is reviewed and answered personally.