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Click any image to enlarge:
ROSALIA, 1998
Oil, alkyd on linen
35.25 x 31 inches
$3,000.
ABRAMES, 1998
Oil, alkyd on linen
35.5 x 28 inches
$3,000.
Details below - Click to enlarge:
 
Most of the works from Simmons’ Rotary series are named after Catholic saints, however, the titles, and their religious connotations, have little to do with the works themselves. The placement of each group of circles on the surface - centered left to right and slightly towards the top – is, however, intended to mimic the placement of the head in a typical bust portrait.
While the circles do not represent specific people, they might be seen as metaphors for the cycles of nature or the spirit that emanates from all human beings. They vaguely reference the psyche that portraitists attempt to convey in their more typical representations of humankind.
BEDE (blue/orange), 1998
Acrylic polymer emulsion on canvas, 9.25 x 8.5 inches
$1,200 framed
CARO (rotary), 1998
Acrylic polymer emulsion on canvas, 10.5 x 9.5 inches
$1,200 framed
UNTITLED (APRIL 1998-I), 1998
Ink and watercolor on paper, 13 x 11.25 inches
$1,050
The effect of color on the human brain has long been manipulated by artists in their work and by therapists in the treatment of human disorders, and Simmons’ work makes use of both complex color theory and the psychological effect of different color combinations. Simmons also explores certain cultural associations with color, questioning typical notions of "taste" and "beauty" in art. Layered over expressionistic drips and background washes, the concentric bands of color, and their relationships to one another, remain the focal point of the Rotary Pictures.
In a way, the artist is challenging the verdict of art history, which has traditionally subjugated "Op" art to Abstract Expressionism. And while the optical effects of the paintings remain central, the works do not rely solely on the controlled complexity of their lines and patterns. The juxtapositions of warm versus cool, light versus dark, stabile versus fleeting create tension and a vibrant sense of movement on the canvas.
UNTITLED (APRIL 1998-II), 1998
Ink, watercolor on paper, 10.5 x 9.5 inches
$1,050
UNTITLED (APRIL 1998-III), 1998
Ink, watercolor, acrylic on paper, 12 x 11.25 inches
$1,050
UNTITLED (JUNE 2), 1997
Ink, watercolor on paper, 11 x 9 inches
$1,050
UNTITLED (JUNE 22), 1997
Ink, watercolor on paper, 11 x 10 inches
$1,200 framed
UNTITLED (JUNE 26), 1997
Ink, watercolor on paper, 11 x 10 inches
$1,050
UNTITLED (MAY), 1998
Acrylic, polymer on paper, 10.5 x 9.5 inches
$1,050
Toner Drawings
TONER DRAWING IV, 1999
Copier toner on paper, 11.25 x 10.25 inches
$750 framed
TONER DRAWING V, 1999
Copier toner on paper, 10.5 x 6.5 inches
$750 framed
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