These watercolors suggest contemporary structural forms, somewhere between sculpture and architecture represented on a 2-D surface. They are based on preparatory sketches done in collage. They may be called “architectonic” because of their apparent structural connections and supports, and their many rectilinear shapes, rising against gravity from an implied horizontal ground line. They are  synthesized, invented images suggesting not only structure, balance, and solidity but also subtlety, vitality, discovery and optimism. While I look at many contemporary painters, I am most inspired by the work of “deconstructive” architects such as Daniel Liebeskind, Zaha Hadid, and Rem Koolhaas.

These works also deal with the theme of discernment, set against the balance of simplicity and complexity. With sustained viewing, complexities begin to reveal themselves; relationships among colors, lines and shapes begin to shift. Spatial relationships may at first appear one way, then another, and both can be “correct”. The coexistence of multiple and simultaneous realities is an important, core element of these works. While making these works I was also reading Cervantes’ Don Quixote, especially enjoying the emphasis on perceptions of reality and illusion, where one “reality” can be interpreted simultaneously in various ways depending on individual viewpoints.

The conscious study of shifting abstract visual relationships can serve as a metaphor of the awareness and discernment needed when formulating opinions and values in various issues presented by contemporary life. Our choices are not often between black and white; they often involve more complex grey areas. What may appear simple on the surface is often complex when you dig deeper. Sustained study and reflection is required in order to understand, sort out, and judge information and relationships.