SIGNATURE

The series title is from Kenneth Rexroth's poem, The Signature of All Things.

The image that catalyzed the group is a moment in the moonlight when, after chopping wood that afternoon, Rexroth sees the chips scattered about in an unexpected cast, one that affirms the seamlessness of all the nature and philosophy he has absorbed throughout the day. Picking up the paint and putting it down, I wanted something of his “pale cold light that was alive,” and something of this shared signature.

 

Seamlessness, however, is a two-edged sword. The individual elements of the painting are getting simpler, and as they do, their interplay carries more of the weight of the image. Their tugs on one another become more insistent, and more apt to change perceptions. So my choice has been to reduce the incidental color interaction across the group by using primaries. I've included green, and I’ve dirtied them up a bit, but they're still gauged to hold their own. As such, they are best hung at some distance from one another.