Abstraction of Yellow (Not)

Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas
Size: 4ft x 4ft
Creation Date: 2023
Collection: Geometric Splendor

Abstraction of Yellow (Not) (2023) is a contradiction wrapped in color. Part of the Geometric Splendor Collection, this 48 x 48 inch mixed media painting plays with the expectations of color theory and the trickiness of perception. It poses a simple question: if something looks like yellow, is it?

The canvas glows with ochre, acid chartreuse, pale gold — everything adjacent to yellow, yet not quite. Around this core swirl geometric forms, blocks of shadow, and unexpected interruptions in deep teal and rust. The composition is structured but loose, like a diagram caught in motion.

The title is tongue-in-cheek, but also philosophical. It’s about how quickly we name what we see — and how naming limits our experience. I wanted to create a painting that resists the comfort of recognition. Yellow, but not yellow. Geometry, but not logic. A map without coordinates.

This work resonates with Joseph Albers, particularly his studies of color interaction, where a shift in context can completely alter perception. But while Albers pursued precision, Abstraction of Yellow (Not) embraces ambiguity. It winks.

There’s humor in this piece. But also curiosity. What happens when we remove certainty from form? When we lean into misreading as a creative act?

As part of Geometric Splendor, this painting challenges the rigidity of form by letting it breathe, crack, and misbehave. It invites you to see — and then unsee.