Rear-View Mirror Verso, 22" x 30", oil on paper, 1986. Artist's collection.

A mirror is an object which provides an area of visual interface between two realms--the subject and the reflected image. I wanted to paint an image of a mirror but soon realized that it is impossible without the image giving way to a rendering of the subject that the mirror is reflecting. Mirrors reflect everything except their own image. My solution was to paint the back side of an object which is recognizable as a mirror, in this case an automobile rear-view mirror. I enjoyed the irony in elevating this mundane object to the level of aesthetic object worthy of being presented as the subject of a work of art. I also enjoyed the "back side/rear-view mirror" visual play on words. The red ball at the right was added as a visual foil for the monochromatic nature of the rest of the composition, and to include a conspicuous subject in the composition for the (hidden) mirror to reflect.