Stelae/Arrangement, No. 1

Stelae/Arrangement, No. 1 marks the first completed work in a new series. Two large, dense black fields anchor the composition, at once bound and separated by the stark white of the unmarked paper. A series of middle-gray bars float above this ground — uniform in thickness, echoing the measured interval of the dividing band. Mostly horizontal, with some subtle diagonals, they separate and overlap, offset and align, establishing a rhythm that is natural yet deliberate. They are suspended in space, hovering in tension between stillness and potential energy.

In the foreground, another system of forms asserts itself: light-gray bars — painted in thin, even layers of acrylic — float in vertical counterpoint atop the darker forms. These introduce new spatial relationships through translucence and layering, overlapping to produce subtle shifts in opacity and creating newly emergent shapes.

The work is purely abstract, without direct referent or intended symbolism. Its structure operates as a quiet study of balance and rhythm, variation and repetition. The work’s dark fields, measured rhythms, and restrained vocabulary of forms invite a quiet experience of space and stillness, where the meaning exists in and through the act of perceiving. The title informs a dual reading. The shapes themselves suggest stelae, monumental slabs, referencing ceremony, presence and the passage of time. Simultaneously, the arrangement of the shapes is as important as the forms themselves; the final composition a careful, deliberate search for balance.