Black with Cherry on Top

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 4ft x 4ft
Creation Date: 2021
Collection: Geometric Splendor

Black with Cherry on Top (2021) plays with visual tension and unexpected delight. Part of the Geometric Splendor Collection, this 48 x 48 inch acrylic on canvas painting is at once stark and playful — a study in contrast, precision, and whimsy.

At first glance, the title reads like a dessert. But this is no confection. A bold black canvas, sharply composed and immaculately flat, dominates the field. And then — almost like a wink — a burst of red. A singular “cherry” form sits just off-center, small and declarative, anchoring the entire composition with levity and defiance.

This piece finds kinship with the work of Ellsworth Kelly, particularly his use of strong color fields and precise shape. But where Kelly emphasized purity, Black with Cherry on Top embraces contradiction. It’s minimalist, yes — but also playful, subtly irreverent.

The “cherry” becomes a metaphor: for imperfection, for delight, for the single thing that can shift perception. In a world of control and symmetry, here’s a moment of surprise — not chaotic, but intentional. A signal that joy, humor, and humanity live even in disciplined form.

As part of the Geometric Splendor Collection, this painting reminds us that structure and spontaneity aren’t opposites — they’re partners. The cherry doesn’t break the black. It completes it.