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Figures and Other Things

By Jay Rechsteiner 2026

Figures and Other Things

Since early 2026, I have been making watercolours without preparatory drawings or predetermined images.

I begin with water, colour, marks and movement. Figures appear while I work. I do not know them beforehand. They may become human, animal, object or something in between. Some appear alone. Others touch, support, avoid, merge or crowd around one another.

The paintings develop through recognition and decision. A mark becomes a body. A shape becomes a face. Something appears, and once I see it, it changes what happens next.

I am interested in this moment when something unknown becomes visible, and in the meanings we give it once it does.

I want to paint what I cannot see.

Figures and other things, 2026–present
Watercolour on paper

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I love David Hockney

Plant 07

Breakfast with Gregor Samsa

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