Life is going to be good, 2022

oil on canvas
84” x 48” (214cm x 122cm)

One of my personal favorites from the Square Quilt series is Life is Going to be Good, a seven-foot-tall vertical grid of over 300 squares. Each square contains three values of the same color: a base color for the face of the square, a lighter tint of that color for the beveled highlight at the upper-right, and a darker shade at the beveled lower-left edges.

If there is but one thing that I could say about this piece, it is that I want viewers to get Very close to it… as you approach the canvas, the seemingly minute variations between the squares grow into veritably distinct personalities, until each square becomes a self-contained moment that is a complete artwork in and of itself :)

Like other Square Quilts, this is in essence a deeply personal painting. I think of every square as a miniature self-portrait, a visual record of my thoughts, presence, and intentions at the precise time it was painted. We often associate geometric grids with predetermined structuring, but the creation of Life is Going to be Good was driven entirely by my intuition… each color choice, each decision on a square’s placement were made in the moment, informed by what felt right to me. The upshot is an unrepeatable tapestry of color, breathing with a vitality that could only be born from instinct.