This 22 x 30” collage was inspired by the work of Stuart Davis, who combined a type of abstraction with American influences like jazz and New York. I like to make new pieces that are inspired by, but do not necessary look like, master works. This was piece was done from collaged pieces of a destroyed painting and re-assembled on a pink watercolor ground. The negative spaces between the collaged pieces have been darkened to bring that background forward a little, creating ambiguous and dynamic figure-ground relationships. Pink and yellow are usually reserved for a more dissonant color schemes but here they seem harmonious. What strikes a great note is that yellow-violet contrast. I also like those black ink lines, which have been cut-off from the original painting; but add continuity and a beat across the surface. There are middle-valued grey shapes, which occur in many of my pieces, as they cool off the color a bit and provide balance.
The center area is the focal point of a deep blue shape lodged near the center. It is the largest dark shape in the painting. It has an interlocking shape on its left side, helping to hold it in the center, almost like an arm holding it in place. You never want to put the darkest thing in the middle of a painting, so that is me taking a little risk. The center has too much visual weight and the viewer would not see anything else. I think both the dark-valued purple shapes and the left holding shape prevent this from happening. These decisions are made on the fly, spontaneously, so I am delighted when they succeed. Like I tell my students: just trust yourself and do it. It’s only paper, after all.
I also like the little X in the lower right corner. Almost like a signature. Davis used letter forms a lot in his work and I do as well, sometimes I use shapes that mimic a letter and a figure simultaneously. Like the letter K, which seems to have legs to walk about with. This piece has never been shown or framed, but I would like to someday.