Block Paintings

Currently, I’m completing a suite of 13 “block” watercolors all derived from a single source and which beg the question, “When does pattern collapse into abstraction?” I’m interested in being repelled by visual difficulty and yet drawn in and rewarded by “deep looking” – my version of Pauline Oliveros’ concept of ‘deep listening’. A key influence was seeing the Stuart Davis Whitney exhibition, recognizing his use of templates and repetition, and coming to understand the role improvisation, in music and in paint, plays in the work.

8 of the 13 are represented here – I’ve just completed #9. They are intended to be shown as a set of 13.

A recent quote from Thom Yorke encapsulates some of what I’m interested in with these paintings – he’s speaking about his Suspiria soundtrack, “I went to the cupboard and got the melancholy balls, poured some out and mixed them with dread, death and femininity, balled ’em up a bit….and…uh…yeah…”