C-Scape

MJ Nelson

Acrylic and foam on board

96 x 12″

In “C-Scape,” the artist orchestrates a compelling interplay of repetition, materiality, and abstraction, where sculptural forms emerge from a richly textured backdrop, evoking a visual language that is both structured and organic. The bold, black “C” shapes—cast in relief from the surface—possess a primal, tactile presence, their arrangement suggesting coded symbols, fragmented language, or rhythmic patterns lost in transition.

Executed in acrylic and foam on board, the work challenges the boundaries between painting and sculpture, inviting the viewer to engage in a dynamic push and pull between material depth and abstract meaning. The stark contrast between the deep black forms and the red-infused background generates a pulsating energy, where shadows shift with the light, transforming the composition into an ever-evolving field of perception.

The title, “C-Scape,” lends itself to multiple interpretations—perhaps a landscape of symbolic fragments, a meditation on communication, or a commentary on the nature of perception itself. The sculptural elements protrude in a rhythmic cadence, guiding the viewer’s eye along a hypnotic procession of repeated forms, each both familiar and enigmatic.

At once minimalist and deeply expressive, “C-Scape” transcends traditional painting, embracing the sculptural while maintaining the painterly. It is a work that resists direct representation, instead speaking through the tension of repetition, contrast, and the materiality of form, leaving meaning open to interpretation, sensation, and experience.