REFLECTIONS and Related Works

Part of A Thematic Collection - “Mirrors” in 1983

“When I painted Reflections and the other works of this period I had begun to search for both color and light in my imagery. It was no longer a search for pure naturalism in the subject. Rather, it was to develop a new level of visual intuition — activation instead of pure restraint.”
— Richard L. Tuck

Reflections, oil on canvas, 36×48”, 1983 - Status: Available

The Development of the Mirror Works

In 1978, I painted large-scale figurative works using a much more muted palette, closer to the grayscale pencil drawings I had made from 1975 to 1977. My friend and fellow artist Ivey Hayes visited my studio, saw some of my acrylic sketches, and encouraged me to go further.

Hayes was a colorist, and his words guided me back to Matisse and to Romare Bearden, his favorite artist. Bearden’s layering of images in his collages reminded me of the visual effects that could be achieved through mirroring.

In four related works created in 1983, the mirror became a site of tension, doubling, human form, and psychological inquiry. Figures appear fragmented, confronted, or suspended between anonymous interior and exterior worlds. Reflection is never passive here; it becomes an active force, shaping questions of identity, perception, and the instability of seeing. Intense color hues activate the eye, encouraging it to move across the painting’s surface rather than passively accept the naturalistic appearance of flesh.

These four paintings form the core of this thematic collection. Building on earlier figurative works documented in Figurative Works in Oils and Pencils, they represent a distinct phase in my exploration of mirroring, color, and psychological presence.