I started doing these smaller ink paintings on paper when Frieda was born and i needed to be able to make my work from home because i couldn't get to the studio as much. But i didn't want to paint with oils around a child, as the fumes are harmful. So I found this special paper that was coated in a metallic gold that works well with the types of ink and acrylics I use. When i started using these materials, I thought the paper only came in this small size. i've since learned that it comes in a larger size, but i like this format. Then I did a project for Esopus magazine in New York in 2016. I was given a 16 page spread. they gave me a lot of leeway - the pages could be folded like an accordion -- whatever I wanted to do. So I played with the idea of 4 separate pages / sheets forming one work. That was where the idea for the multi-panel pieces came from. In the architectural imagery that I've ben working with for the last few years, I've been using a lot of horizontal and vertical lines/structures. And I have been playing with reflections and mirroring imagery -- reflections in water or glass, real reflections and invented ones. The point at which the images get mirrored, corresponds with the seams between the sheets of paper, so I think those breaks in the image add to the composition and concept of the works. There's a kaleidoscopic aspect. Kind of related to cubism, but different. More about potential different realities. I want to make these ordered / modern places - places that were created to feel rational and logical - feel mysterious and beyond our control. So I created ambiguity or confusion in the imagery. These are like paintings of what exists and at the same time, what could exist. I want viewers to ask, what is real and what is not? Stefan Kurten 1/7/17