I've been looking at the work of Richard Diebenkorn a lot recently. With his unique structuring of space and sun-seeped color palettes, I'm drawn deeply into his world of abstraction. The work resonates deeply with both the work that I do professionally as well as my more artistic practice.

It's difficult to describe the compositions as anything other than artfully balanced. Dramatic in their asymmetry, pieces often strongly emphasize the right or left of the picture plane while calling attention to the verticality of his preferred format. Although many interpret his work as an abstraction of California landscapes, Diebenkorn disliked the association. For him the work is purely abstract and not grounded in a metaphor of the physical world. Each piece is problem to be explored and unraveled through regular practice. I can relate to the tension and challenges that he alludes to in the video below when trying to figure out a particular painting:

When it comes to color, Diebenkorn was an absolute master. Though difficult to perceive in reproductions, each shape is made up of layer upon layer of translucent color. The resulting tones echo the light of the southern California sun, and have a certain dirty radiance that I'm continually in awe of.