Breath (2022-2024)

This body of work references a six month period when I had difficulty breathing. Conceived through small ink drawings, (see Ink Drawings on Panels) done at home while recuperating from open-heart surgery, this series alludes to the act of inhaling and exhaling.

During my weeks drawing at home, I transitioned from the regular grid design I used in the “Fields” paintings (2017-2021) to ones with graduated units that include a linear element. I observed that when I increased the size of the blocks from the outside to the inside of the image, it seemed to “inhale” and if I made the blocks larger on the outside and smaller on the inside, it seemed to “exhale.”

The “First Breath” paintings were completed upon my post-surgery return to the studio and are my initial attempts to create paintings based on my drawings. The “Deep Breath” pieces include both the inhale and exhale idea and utilize color and paint application variations.

“Inner Rhythm” is a celebration of life. This painting combines repeated hard edge linear elements in a grid format using multiple layers of hand-painted lines. The title refers to the movement within the image and, by extension, the harmonious rhythms of the human body. It is also a nod to a comment Piet Mondrian made to Lee Krasner. After seeing her painting for the first time, Mondrian said, “Strong inner rhythm, keep it up.”

“Blue Rhythms” is a companion piece to “Inner Rhythm” and was painted in reaction to it. The structural elements are identical in both paintings, but while “Inner Rhythm” is multicolored and visually active, “Blue Rhythms” invites contemplation through a variety of blues painted with varying opacity.

In “Crosshairs,” I focused on the treat to democracy. A black and blue painting, it features a dominant “crosshair” motif. Later, in the “Mirino” paintings, I brightened the palette and employed color variations to the “crosshair” element.

“Mirino #4 (Uncertain Times / Shifting Perceptions)” was finished after the 2024 presidential election and questions both political and esthetic decisions. It’s shifting grounds reference the mood of those voters who value the Constitution and rule of law over the current administration’s anti-democratic approach.

These paintings celebrate color and color relationships by layering brushstrokes on wood panels that are individually painted and then joined together. The result is a simple complexity that embodies my ongoing quest for an image that is calming yet energizing, stimulating yet meditative.