Dominant Spheres

 
 
  • DOMINANT SPHERES 5th

Dominant Spheres 5th

 

DOMINANT YELLOW SPHERES 7thDominant Yellow Spheres 7th (verso)

 

 

The Dominant Spheres, two large quadriptych paintings (front and verso) were quickly executed with acrylic paints and rags, using as stencils the freshly gessoed, blank circular forms that would become the Dying Spheres set. Each side was done in the same manner. Temporarily taped in different arrangements over the four long white paper panels, the large round forms masked the surfaces underneath as I rapidly painted with rags soaked in dilute acrylic paints.

As I worked and reworked this staining process, moving the circular forms into different positions, both the forms and the quadriptych painting were developed and completed simultaneously. Additional smaller gessoed circles were used in the same manner. In addition, the smaller freshly stained circular forms were reversed and pressed against the larger surface, repeating form, texture and color in a simple printing process.

The small tabs of tape used to temporarily affix the largest circles to the panels were left on the paper spheres. These tabs are not new to my work. They played a major role in my Tablet Seriesof 2015, but appeared as early as 2007 on gessoed paper paintings. In the case of these latest works, the tabs added to the unsettling character of the pieces – their resemblance to Covid-19 cellular structure was unplanned but undeniable. They added a three-dimensional quality to the Dying Spheres and are echoed in Dominant Spheres.

After the large painting was done, other small completed circles were superimposed, adding  variable arrangements of layering. The above piece, Dominant Spheres 5th, is a variant with five superimposed circles. 

 

 

DOUBLE SPHERES STITCHED
UBLE SPHERES STITICHED

The related Double Stitched Spheres above utilized both sides of a stitched, gessoed paper panel prepared some time ago, set aside and not used until this moment. Like the Scrolling Spots, the acrylic-stained pages were rolled and re-rolled on both sides, creating a calligraphic texture.

 

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