Is black painting really black? The overwhelming hues of Flashe paint allow Weatherford to layer infinitely, preventing the viewer from distinguishing the color of a certain hue even with sustained looking. The neon strip cuts the work into two, making it almost impossible to imagine the painting without it.

Black painting is a part of Weatherford’s series like the land loves the sea which responds to current events. Charged with a sense of place and distinct Americanness following the 2016 election, it’s as if Weatherford is still painting and adding hues through the viewer’s gaze, deconstructing the turbulence of American politics and social fabric. Influenced by the sheer amount of neon signs in Los Angeles, the strip of neon light contrasts the somberness of the painting’s hues, forcing the viewer to confront the duality of vision and recognition and playing on American numbness to turbulence.

—Irmak Ersoz ‘24