24 in diameter
11/2026
I envisioned a painting where there would be no beginning or end; simply one color leading into another, guided by the general sequence of a color wheel. There are 116 distinct colors in this painting, some laid down flat, some with texture and even a couple with glass beads included in the paint. Within each color family, I explored light, dark, metallic, transparent and opaque hues. I decided to include 3 terminal dots for each slice of the wheel, each made up of the previous color, to enhance the connectivity of the color wedges. To me, this painting suggests how differences can create beauty and continuity – a metaphor for our humanity. From a distance, the colors form a unified, luminous whole; up close, individuality prevails. The composition is straightforward – a sunburst pattern originating in the center of the canvas. There are two simultaneous movements: an outward burst and a revolving circuit. The color transitions are not entirely smooth. Pale strips interrupt saturated passages; dark wedges cut into brighter segments; metallic-looking and earth-toned bands complicate the rainbow sequence. These interruptions keep the painting from reading merely as a diagram. A narrow light-colored wedge can appear almost incandescent beside a darker neighbor, while related colors sometimes merge into broader fields. The result is a visual rhythm: the overall progression is easy to recognize, but its individual intervals remain surprising. Visible differences in surface texture soften the precision of the radial design. Some wedges appear relatively flat and opaque; others look mottled, grainy, or reflective. These variations give each strip a separate material presence rather than allowing it to function only as a unit of color. The small dots near the circumference establish a second, quieter rhythm around the edge, counterbalancing the force of the long radial lines. They might suggest perforations, beads, notation, or a loose system of counting—but they remain open enough to avoid a fixed narrative. Their slight variations reward close looking and give the perimeter an identity of its own. The painting explores how substantial transformation emerges from many small differences - no single wedge accounts for the journey from yellow to violet or green to red; the change becomes apparent through accumulation. At the same time, the neighboring bands do not surrender their individuality to achieve the larger whole.
The painting is immediately accessible as a radiant circular composition, yet sustained attention reveals a more nuanced negotiation between order and irregularity, individual marks and collective form.
