Karin Schaefer — Building the Scene, 2026
Karin Schaefer
Building the Scene, 2026
Oil on wood panel
This large-scale abstract painting is composed of intersecting geometric planes that create the sensation of entering an imagined architectural space. The shifting forms suggest walls, floors, openings, and changing perspectives, giving the composition the feeling of a room while remaining entirely abstract.
Expanses of pale blush, soft ivory, muted lavender, deep blue, warm brown, and green are built
through Schaefer’s finely layered, crosshatched marks. Subtle gradients within the fields of color shift from light to dark, creating a sense of illumination, atmosphere, and depth. The delicate, almost textile-like surface softens the architectural geometry, while variations in color and transparency allow the planes to overlap, recede, and move forward.
Viewed from a distance, the work reads as a serene architectural composition; up close, its intricate linear texture, layered colors, and subtle tonal gradients become increasingly pronounced. The result is an immersive exploration of depth, perspective, light, and the perception of interior space.