Dike Blair

Since the 1980s, Blair has created meticulous gouache paintings of unprepossessing subjects, such as a cocktail glass on a bar or the linear demarcations of parking spots on concrete ground. He has sometimes incorporated these works into multi-part installations of mundane objects, which he likens to the Japanese practice of Ikebana, flower arranging. Untitled, 2015 is a self-reflexive image, showing a segment of Blair's studio floor. An extension cord--a common feature of his sculptures--stretches across the composition. The oblique angle and scattered composition recall at once photographic snapshots and the paintings and pastels of Edgar Degas