Arced Double Square, hand dyed wool on linen, 15 x 15 in.
This piece, made up of two squares overlapping at their center, was inspired by similarly formatted paintings by Mary Heilmann. It is flat like her paintings, made up of a shaped surface. I chose curves to play off against the square shapes. It wasn't until I'd started working on the piece that I noticed that its colors and theme were similar to my most recently completed painting, Red Arc, an unconscious influence.
Mary Heilmann, Lupe, 1987; oil on canvas, 54 x 54 in.
In Lupe, Heilmann divides the shaped plane into equal squares, with looping lines wandering across them, tying them together.
Arced Double Square detail
In this detail image you can see that although there might be an illusion of one square overlapping another, the piece is flat. I wanted to have a point of tension where the square meets the curve, as though it is pricking the rounded line. One curve flows outward and one inward, which I hope sets up a balance of forces, the dark red shapes taking precedence over the yellow. I am grateful to Heilmann, who is a marvelous painter, for starting me off on this format.
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