Light and Reflection

Roger Weik
(Chicago, Illinois, b. 1949)
Light and Reflection
2007
Acrylic emulsion and oxide pigments on canvas
(2007.38)
Gift of the artist

This work belongs to Weik’s series of emulsion paintings and shows his interest in taking elements that are not compatible, like oil and water, and finding a way to make them work together. In this instance Weik prepared the canvas with a wash of turpentine and asphaltum. He then splashed a water-based black oxide onto the turpentine surface, which repelled the oxide causing it to bead up. After drying, Weik poured clear emulsion over the surface in a series of parallel lines, which occasionally converge. Following another drying period, he applied a blue oxide wash in the areas between the emulsion forms. He then carefully polished these acrylic lines to reveal the dots beneath the surface.

The forms appear organic, as if created by some natural primordial process. This small jewel-like piece breathes with life thanks to the flowing forms that appear ephemeral and capable of morphing into other patterns. The drops, too, appear fugitive. The tactile quality of the piece, which further proclaims its existence, comes from Weik’s "affinity for thickness and texture." Art holds a special place in Weik’s world: "I know that it affects and moves me, that it has a life of its own, that it exists."

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