Achromatic Compass

24 in x 24 in,

11/25

My intention when I painted "Achromatic Compass” was for it to be a symmetric piece of complexity, done only in blacks, whites, silvers and grays so that the geometry of the piece could be the focus since color is stripped away and only value remains. The painting’s pattern draws the eye toward the center but its radial symmetry, top me, evokes a compass .  There are pathways along the interlocking arcs and triangular facets.  Restricting the palette helps create a contemplative atmosphere with small shifts in value standing in for the emotional charge that saturated color would normally carry.  Light and dark become featured, with embedded textures and patterns seeming like coded notations or barcodes scattered around the dial to suggest signals awaiting interpretation. Additions of dots, insets and impasto keep the piece unpredictable.  To me, this painting seems simultaneously static and in motion. “Achromatic Compass” is a painting that will not tell the viewer where to look, but invites a thoughtful exploration of complex, overlapping vectors that converge around geometric themes.