Stuart Arends: Four Splits, One Stand

Overview

New Mexico-based Stuart Arends makes delicate yet assertive paintings whose dimensions never exceed 8 inches. Despite their size, or because of it, a single three-dimensional painting can easily command an entire wall. The paintings are based on the cube, the classic Minimalist, abstract form. And while there is a precision to their making, they retain an earthy, worn quality that is humble and inviting.

 

Layers of wax, oil, graphite, and ink are applied on wood to create a translucent surface. In the “Split” paintings, that translucency is paired with a nearly opaque layer of bright paint. Underneath the waxy layers appear graceful scribbles that upon closer inspection reveal themselves to be numbers, erratic and repetitive. Although the numbers seem trapped by thick stripes of paint, their energetic life-force emanates from within their box-like containers.