James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
American artist James Siena is celebrated for his inimitable process of creating intricate abstractions, driven by a practice of self-imposed rules termed visual algorithms.
Siena preemptively determines his marks and actions and repeats them procedurally as his works result in intensely concentrated, vibrantly colored, freehand compositions. His oeuvre often references diagrams, complex puzzles, labyrinths, and mapping, resulting in inward meditations that actively engage traditions of pattern and mark-making in an ongoing exploration of scale, materiality, and interaction of color.
Maneuvering across a diverse range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, drawing, lithography, etching and woodcuts, Siena’s work has placed him firmly within the canon of contemporary American art. For more than four decades, Siena’s rule-based linear abstractions have been strongly associated with the machine / human interface.
“The way the paintings act as machines,” the artist has pointed out, “is you have to find your way into them and find your way out of them.”
Born in Oceanside, California, in 1957, Siena lives and works in New York, NY, and Otis, MA.
Find original James Siena art on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Miles McEnery Gallery)
1990s Abstract Geometric James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite, Pencil
Early 2000s Abstract Geometric James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Felt Pen
2010s James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
2010s James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
2010s James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
2010s Abstract James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Felt Pen
2010s Abstract Expressionist James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
1960s Abstract Geometric James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Pen, Pencil
Late 20th Century Abstract Geometric James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
1940s Modern James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Felt Pen
1970s Abstract James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
Mid-20th Century American Modern James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache
1960s Abstract Geometric James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Handmade Paper, Mixed Media, Pencil
1960s Abstract Expressionist James Siena Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache