Composite Nature

From images of such things as starfish, ferns, a bird's claw, Philip Taaffe renders lush and delicate patterns with colors so striking they seem still wet. It is a visual language akin to Chinese calligraphy, and its organic quality reveals the symmetry of the natural world. This exquisitely crafted book presents these recent works by the artist, and features an extensive dialogue between Taaffe and filmmaker Stan Brakhage. That these artists share an affinity is made apparent in their conversation: both view the process of abstraction as an elemental one of construction and embellishment, and both look to nature to find reflected new orders of experience.