Bay Area - Abstract Paintings

Elizabeth Geisler’s dazzling contemporary water reflection acrylic paintings bridge realism with abstraction. Up close, the paintings appear ambiguous and loose, yet with a little di...

This artwork titled "Le Danseur Bleu" Thriptych, 1985, is a large oil painting and mixed media triptych on canvas linen by noted French artist Pierre Marie Brisson (b. 1955) It is si...

Artist: Carol Sideman– American (1925-2021) Title: Blue Sea #57 Year: circa 1975 Medium: Acrylic paint, gouache, chine colle on heavy watercolor paper Si...

One of our finest living contemporary American Realist artists, Willard Dixon, has painted 'View From the Window; featuring green leaves, grey branches, purple lilac and orange turni...

Lustrous blues and golds abound in this original and highly unique contemporary oil and resin painting on canvas from acclaimed American abstract artist Erin Parish, Parish's tradema...

This artwork titled "Tweet" c.1990, is an acrylic painting on paper by noted American artist Glen Chesnut. It is. signed and titled at the lower right corner by the artist. The artwo...

A bold, intensely color-saturated painting from Stephen Henriques, who is influenced by Bonnard and Vuillard, and the western landscape and its light. When referring to his oil on ab...

Important work from Kim Frohsin's Cautionary Tales series of 2015, that considers the price of progress in our rapidly changing world. Here in this compelling diptych "Mesh no. 1' we...

Paul Winthrop Wood modernist abstract cityscape, 1979 Modernist Abstract Landscape Oil on Board 18" x 34" unframed, 24.5" x 40.5" framed Paul Winthrop Wood 1922-2003 Wood was born on August 29, 1922, in Kingsville, ON, Canada. He was the son of Albert G., an architect and Louise Wood. He married Jacqueline Stark, a pianist, on September 4, 1953. Wood attended Grand Central School of Art, 1938, New School for Social Research, 1939, and Art Students League in New York from 1939-41 and 1946-47. He was a portrait painter in 1948 at Paul W. Wood Studio, Port Washington, NY, owner, 1949-68, and a part-time course tutor. He taught at the Open University, Milton Keynes, England, beginning in 1980 and at the Department of Art History, 1993-2003. Wood was president of the Pleasant Hill, Inc., former director of Albert Wood and Five Sons...

Subtle but vibrant, this abstraction of a hibiscus in brilliant yellow is framed by a cluster of bird of paradise blooms in the shady foreground—the latter simplified into bursts of the plant’s renown color duo. Bring a garden inside without the watering and weeding. Nice. According to the Smithsonian Institution’s archives, the artist Hilda Pertha...

Paula Valenzuela Botanical Experiment #3, 2025 Watercolor and alcohol inks on paper 12 x 9 inches This one-of-a-kind work on paper comes unframed and ships in a tube. External, visi...

Mid Modern Abstract Oil Painting By E. Costello Large and impressive abstract oil painting created with oils on Masonite. This painting can hang vertical, or horizontal. Dimension...

This artwork titled "T.Rojo" 1985 in an acrylic painting on paper by renown Spanish artist, Jose Maria Sicilia, born 1954. The artwork size is 16 x 11.75 inches, sheet size is 17.90...

A true show stopper! This original is comprised of 3 separate panels (also sold individually upon request) that will add a vibrant pop of color and movement to your space. Titled Pas...

Serene and calm sky, ocean horizon, sunrise or sunset sky painting from American Realist Willard Dixon. A contemporary sky scape with clouds and etherial light. Like a window to a wide open, brilliant and warm sky, in blue, purple yellow and gold. Unframed and ready to hang and enjoy. The original painting is 42 x 40 inches. Signed in paint with artist initials front. And signed in pen with artist's signature, date and title, Verso. One of our finest American contemporary realist painters, Willard Dixon has painted Northern California and western landscapes for over 35 years. His work captures the undeniable beauty of the West with its grand and humble spirit. The same sensitivity can be found in Dixon’s urban street scenes that offer viewers a resting place to contemplate our rapidly changing world, and his portraiture, which largely focuses on his artist friends and illustrious colleagues. Dixon’s work can be found in numerous distinctive private and public collections, as well as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, and the California Museum of Att in Oakland, CA. Willard Dixon Born Kansas City MO, 1942 Education Art Students League, New York, NY Cornell University Brooklyn Museum School San Francisco Art Institute, M.F.A. 1969 Awards and N.E.A. Fellowship Grant- 1989 Commissions California Supreme Court Mural Commission- 1998 Las Vegas Federal Courthouse Commission, G.S.A.-1998 Teaching 1989-90 San Francisco State University 1975 San Francisco Art Institute Realism Seminar 1974-76 Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA 1973-74, 1976 California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA 1971-72 California State University, Hayward, CA One Man Exhibitions 2015 Willard Dixon Portraits College of Marin Fine Art Gallery, Kentfield 2014 SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2008 SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2005 Fischbach Gallery, NYC,NY 2005 Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2004 Fischbach Gallery, NYC, NY. 2002 Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2002 Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA 2001 Hackett Freedman Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2000 Fischbach Gallery, NYC , NY 2000 Hearst Art Gallery, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA 1998 Hackett Freedman Gallery, SF, CA 1997 Tatistcheff/Rogers Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1996, 1995 Contemporary Realist Gallery (now Hackett Freedman Gallery) 1994 Fischbach Gallery 1993 Contemporary Realist Gallery 1992 Fischbach Gallery 1991 Earl McGrath Gallery, 454 North, Los Angeles, CA 1990 Fischbach Gallery 1989 William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1988 Gallery 454 North, Los Angeles, CA 1987 Fischbach Gallery 1987 Gallery 454 North 1986 William Sawyer Gallery 1985 Fischbach Gallery 1984 Harris Gallery, Houston, Tx 1984 William Sawyer Gallery 1983, 1982 Fischbach Gallery 1981 William Sawyer Gallery 1980,1979 Tortue Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1976, 1975 William Sawyer Gallery 1973, 1972 William Sawyer Gallery Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 SHIFT / with Elizabeth Barlow, Kim Frohsin, Erin Parrish, Irene Zweig, Andra Norris Gallery, Burlingame, CA 2015 REAL / with Elizabeth Barlow Gallerie Citi, Burlingame, CA. 2014 Stillness and Activity / A father and daughter exhibition. Gallerie Citi, Burlingame, CA. 2013 Outwin Boocher Portrait Competition 2013 Exhibition” Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. Hey Everybody / Portraits, Diablo Valley College 2012 Artistic Visions of the Golden Gate Bridge”, George Krevsky Gallery, S.F., CA. Introduction Two/ Gallerie Citi, Burlingame, CA. 2011 California: A Landscape of Dreams/ Fresno Art Museum 2010 Self Portrait Invitational/ Julie Nester Gallery, Park City UT 2009 On Beauty/ I. Wolk Gallery, St. Helena, CA. 2008 At Water’s Edge/ I. Wolk Gallery, St. Helena, CA. 2007 San Francisco Scenes/ George Krevsky Gallery, S.F., CA Ten Years- A Retrospective/ Dolby Chadwick Gallery, S.F., CA. 2006 Our Planet, Our Home/ SFMOMA Artists Gallery, S.F. CA 2005 2005 Spring Group Show/ Earl McGrath Gallery, L.A., CA 2002 H2O’02, Paintings of Water/ Fischbach Gallery, NYC Scene in Oakland 1852-2002 Oakland Museum Oakland, CA The Garden/ Art Foundry Gallery, Sacramento, CA The Moving Still Life/ Fischbach Gallery, New York, NY Bay Area Printmakers/ works from Trillium Press, Art Foundry Gallery, Sacramento, CA California Landscape Paintings/ College of Marin Art Gallery, Kentfield, CA Bay Area Printmakers/ SF Museum of Modern Art/Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA Visions: Northern California/ Bank of America, San Francisco, CA 2001 Opening Exhibit: Group Show, Fischbach Gallery, NY, NY 2000 Hackett Freedman Gallery Artists/ Shasta College Art Gallery, Redding, Ca 1999 Homage to the Art Institute, Artists Who Transformed American Culture, Hackett Freedman Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1999 What is Art For? What are Museums For? What are You For?/ curated for the Oakland Museum by William T.Wiley & Mary Hull Webster, Oakland, CA 1998 Paintings of Marin County Past and Present/ The North Point Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1997 10th Anniversary Exhibition/ Hackett Freedman Gallery, S.F., CA 1996 Rediscovering the Landscape of the Americas/ Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM (traveling exhibition) Contemporary American Realist Painters/ Halls Crown Center Gallery, Kansas City, MO 1996 Foundation for the Future: Celebrating 125 Years at the San Francisco Art Institute/ One Bush St., S.F., CA 1996 New Work by Selected Gallery Artists, Tatistcheff/Rogers Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Flower Paintings/ Contemporary Realist Gallery, S.F., CA 1995 Facing Eden: 100 Years of Landscape Art in the Bay Area/ De Young Museum, S.F., CA Contemporary Still Life Painting/ David Klein...

Elizabeth Geisler is best known for her dazzling contemporary water reflection paintings that bridge realism with abstraction. Up close, the paintings appear ambiguous and loose, yet...

Olja Ivanjicki "Florence or Hell of l'Inconnue De La Seine" original oil circa 1965 Original oil on board. Dimensions 26" wide x 42" high. The frame measures 30" wide x 46" high. Signed and dated at the upper border. She has auction results over $9,000 which was earlier in 2021. Olga Ivanjicki, the daughter of Russian emigrants was born in Pancevo, Danube Banovina. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, graduated in 1957, and in the same year she was the only woman among the founders of MEDIALA Belgrade, an art group of painters, writers and architects such as Leonid Šejka, Vladimir Velickovic, Ljubomir Popovic, Miodrag Ðuric. In 1962, she received a scholarship of the Ford Foundation to pursue her art studies in the United States, and in 1978 she was a selected artist of the Fulbright program Artist in Residence at the Rhode Island School of Design. She had over ninety individual exhibitions and participated in numerous national and international group exhibitions. Ivanjicki’s painting was influenced by Symbolism, Surrealism, Pop art and Fantastic art. In the course of her career, the artist received the Vuk Lifetime Achievement Award (Vukova nagrada, 1988), the Seventh of July Award (Sedmojulska nagrada, 1988) and the Karic Award. L'Inconnue de la Seine (English: The Unknown Woman of the...

Serene and calm sky, ocean, horizon, sunrise or sunset, oil painting from American Realist Willard Dixon, who bridges realism with natural abstraction in his series of breathtaking and etherial sky paintings. A contemporary sky scape with soft clouds in blue, purple peach and gold. Unframed and ready to hang and enjoy. The original painting is 48 x 60 inches. Signed by the artist verso. One of our finest American contemporary realist painters, Willard Dixon has painted Northern California and western landscapes for over 35 years. His work captures the undeniable beauty of the West with its grand and humble spirit. Dixon’s work can be found in numerous important public collections including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Oakland Museum of Art in California, as well as numerous private art collections worldwide. Proudly presented by Andra Norris Gallery, northern California. The artist was born: Kansas City MO, 1942 Education: Art Students League, New York, NY Cornell University Brooklyn Museum School San Francisco Art Institute, M.F.A. 1969 Awards and Commissions N.E.A. Fellowship Grant- 1989 California Supreme Court Mural Commission- 1998 Las Vegas Federal Courthouse Commission, G.S.A.-1998 Teaching 1989-90: San Francisco State University 1975: San Francisco Art Institute Realism Seminar 1974-76: Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA 1973-74, 1976: California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA 1971-72: California State University, Hayward, CA One Man Exhibitions 2015: Willard Dixon Portraits College of Marin Fine Art Gallery, Kentfield 2014: SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2008: SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2005: Fischbach Gallery, NYC,NY 2005: Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2004: Fischbach Gallery, NYC, NY. 2002: Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2002: Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA 2001: Hackett Freedman Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2000: Fischbach Gallery, NYC , NY 2000: Hearst Art Gallery, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA 1998: Hackett Freedman Gallery, SF, CA 1997: Tatistcheff/Rogers Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1996, 1995: Contemporary Realist Gallery (now Hackett Freedman Gallery) 1994: Fischbach Gallery 1993: Contemporary Realist Gallery 1992: Fischbach Gallery 1991: Earl McGrath Gallery, 454 North, Los Angeles, CA 1990: Fischbach Gallery 1989: William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1988: Gallery 454 North, Los Angeles, CA 1987: Fischbach Gallery 1987: Gallery 454 North 1986: William Sawyer Gallery 1985: Fischbach Gallery 1984: Harris Gallery, Houston, Tx 1984: William Sawyer Gallery 1983, 1982: Fischbach Gallery 1981: William Sawyer Gallery 1980,1979: Tortue Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1976, 1975: William Sawyer Gallery 1973, 1972: William Sawyer Gallery Selected Group Exhibitions 2017: SHIFT / with Elizabeth Barlow, Kim Frohsin, Erin Parrish, Irene Zweig, Andra Norris Gallery, Burlingame, CA 2015: REAL with Elizabeth Barlow Gallerie Citi, Burlingame, CA. 2014: Stillness and Activity / A father and daughter exhibition, Gallerie Citi, Burlingame, CA. 2013: Outwin Boocher Portrait Competition 2013 Exhibition” Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. Hey Everybody / Portraits, Diablo Valley College 2012: Artistic Visions of the Golden Gate Bridge”, George Krevsky Gallery, S.F., CA. Introduction Two/ Gallerie Citi, Burlingame, CA. 2011: California: A Landscape of Dreams/ Fresno Art Museum 2010: Self Portrait Invitational/ Julie Nester Gallery, Park City UT 2009: On Beauty /I. Wolk Gallery, St. Helena, CA. 2008: At Water’s Edge / I. Wolk Gallery, St. Helena, CA. 2007: San Francisco Scenes/ George Krevsky Gallery, S.F., CA Ten Years- A Retrospective/ Dolby Chadwick Gallery, S.F., CA. 2006: Our Planet, Our Home/ SFMOMA Artists Gallery, S.F. CA 2005: 2005 Spring Group Show/ Earl McGrath Gallery, L.A., CA 2002: H2O’02, Paintings of Water/ Fischbach Gallery, NYC Scene in Oakland 1852-2002 Oakland Museum Oakland, CA The Garden/ Art Foundry Gallery, Sacramento, CA The Moving Still Life/ Fischbach Gallery, New York, NY Bay Area Printmakers/ works from Trillium Press, Art Foundry Gallery, Sacramento, CA California Landscape Paintings/ College of Marin Art Gallery, Kentfield, CA Bay Area Printmakers/ SF Museum of Modern Art/Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA Visions: Northern California/ Bank of America, San Francisco, CA 2001: Opening Exhibit: Group Show, Fischbach Gallery, NY, NY 2000: Hackett Freedman Gallery Artists/ Shasta College Art Gallery, Redding, Ca 1999: Homage to the Art Institute, Artists Who Transformed American Culture, Hackett Freedman Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1999: What is Art For? What are Museums For? What are You For? curated Curated for the Oakland Museum by William T. Wiley & Mary Hull Webster, Oakland, CA 1998: Paintings of Marin County Past and Present/ The North Point Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1997: 10th Anniversary Exhibition/ Hackett Freedman Gallery, S.F., CA 1996: Rediscovering the Landscape of the Americas/ Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM (traveling exhibition) Contemporary American Realist Painters/ Halls Crown Center Gallery, Kansas City, MO 1996: Foundation for the Future: Celebrating 125 Years at the San Francisco Art Institute/ One Bush St., S.F., CA 1996: New Work by Selected Gallery Artists, Tatistcheff/Rogers Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Flower Paintings/ Contemporary Realist Gallery, S.F., CA 1995: Facing Eden: 100 Years of Landscape Art in the Bay Area / De Young Museum, S.F., CA Contemporary Still Life Painting/ David Klein Gallery...

Elizabeth Geisler is best known for her dazzling contemporary water reflection paintings that bridge realism with abstraction. Up close, the paintings appear ambiguous and loose, yet...

Contemplative, rich, Turner-esque warm bronze abstract Impressionist reflective scene alludes to light falling on a vast landscape or body of water. Created with a rich range of gold...

A bold, intensely color-saturated painting from Stephen Henriques, who is influenced by Bonnard and Vuillard, and the western landscape and its light. When referring to his oil on ab...

Not the visual expected of a painting carrying the title “Maine Farmer.” But this abstract composition manages to convey the flinty resolve of men who support their families on the output of demanding and “generally infertile” soils, as described by the University of Maine. Thank the Lord for blueberries. Artist Abraham Elterman bestrides two countries. He was born in Mexico City and spent much of his education in the sciences, here in sequence: a B.Sc. in Physics at the nearly 475-year-old Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in his home town; a stint at Hebrew University of Jerusalem; a Ph.D. in Biophysics at the University of California, Berkeley; and then, taking a new direction with a residency in The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture located in Madison, Maine. Ah-ha, Maine! Elterman’s website lists 22 exhibitions in both Mexico and California, starting in 1986, and inclusion in group shows at the Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, California and the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento...

Richard Anuszkiewicz: 1930-2020. Very important and well listed American artist. He has auction results as high as $250,000. He was the leader of what would be called OP Art short fo...

Gail Chase Bien paints thinly layered oil on linen over extended periods (from months to years) to complete a single work of art. Taking cues from nature’s extraordinary visual offer...

Artist: David Fox (American, 1920-2011) Title: Still Life (Geometric Figure #2) Year: 2003 Medium: Acrylic on paper Paper: Watercolor paper Image si...

Paula Valenzuela Bajo tierra (Underground), 2024 Mixed media on canvas 40 x 30 inches This one-of-a-kind acrylic painting on canvas is stretched across wooden stretcher bars. Extern...

Elizabeth Geisler’s dazzling contemporary water reflection acrylic paintings bridge realism with abstraction. Up close, the paintings appear ambiguous and loose, yet with a little di...

This signed painting by acclaimed African-American artist David Hammons displays an early experimental use of painted material during the artist’s formative years at Otis Art Institu...

Conference of the birds no 28 (Abstract Painting) Oil on panel. Natural and mystical processes inspire Ostovany. Informed by a variety of different cultures, Ostovany feels a conne...

Terra Incognita (Le Pavé de France 5) (Abstract Painting) Oil on linen stretched on panel - Unframed. Snow sees her work as a constant play between order and chaos, logic and emoti...

Mexican-American visual artist Javier Arizmendi-Kalb’s expressive and texturally rich paintings are nuanced with symbolic and narrative motif in oil and oil-crayon on canvas. 'Hacked...

Gail Chase Bien paints thinly layered oil on linen over extended periods (from months to years) to complete a single work of art. Taking cues from nature’s extraordinary visual offer...

This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...

Neige de Nuit (Night Snow) — luminous oil on linen. Dimensions are 32 x 24 inches. French American Frédéric Choisel, is inspired by the cities and country...

Elizabeth Geisler is best known for her dazzling contemporary water reflection paintings that bridge realism with abstraction. Up close, the paintings appear ambiguous and loose, yet...

Magnificent monumental abstract painting circa 1970s. Signed lower right "MacMillan". This painting will be the centerpiece of any interior. It's a large, and elegant painting fill...

It's an abstract from the 1940s-1950s, but one with a brilliant trompe l’oeil effect. The artist’s intense focus for accuracy in color placement achieves three-dimensionality as if t...

This signed painting by acclaimed African-American artist David Hammons displays an early experimental use of painted material during the artist’s formative years at Otis Art Institu...

William Stephens Shields, Jr., 1925 - 2010 "The Manifestation" 1994 Oil on canvas 48"x36" artist framed Signed lower center William Stephens Shields, Jr., 1925 - 2010 He was born in san Francisco, in 1931, Bill moved to Texas, where he grew up. Moved to New York in 1940 and later joined the Naval Air Corps at the age of 18. He served as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945. At the end of WWII, Bill returned to Texas. At 21, Bill re-focused his energy and enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Art as an Illustration major. What followed was a whirlwind of success, great friendships and a sense of belonging he had never before experienced. Art was his calling and the art-world could not have been less prepared for the likes of Bill Shields...

Navy blue to light blue, with white, cream, and touches of yellow, are celebrated in this abstract geometric mixed media painting with acrylic, ink, polymers and layers of complex an...

Soft yellow abstract shapes with curves and lines, 'Still Life' from Mexican-American contemporary visual artist and celebrated architect Javier Arizmendi-Kalb, who creates autobiographical paintings that are comprised of both abstract and representational elements that consider the natural world as it intersects with utilitarian and architectural design. 'Still Life' — 3 x 4 feet (36 x 48 inches), — is from a series of paintings that characterize sacred spaces such as Mexican chapels...

This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...

Mystery heavy impasto abstract sailboat scene. Fabulous midcentury oil on canvas which appears to be illegibly signed. It has wonderful colors and is...

Original vibrant abstract painting by Jane Burton. Her work can be found in public and private collections all over the country, and also in Canada. The artist uses a variety of tech...

Abstract encaustic oil painting.

When competing desires collide, which one wins? At the turn of the 20th century, North American bird populations were plummeting, hitting a nadir with the extinction of the Passeng...

This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...

Two canvases that feature warm shadows and cascading light which is the focus of these sophisticated abstract oil on canvas paintings by artist Anne Subercaseaux, whose gleaming oil ...

Large Scale Mid 20th Century Acrylic Painting by Vanguard Studios Signed Van Gaard Classic 1950s to 1960s acrylic painting of a guitar against a colorful ab...

Elizabeth Geisler is best known for her dazzling contemporary water reflection paintings that bridge realism with abstraction. Up close, the paintings appear ambiguous and loose, yet...

Elizabeth Geisler is best known for her dazzling contemporary water reflection paintings that bridge realism with abstraction. Up close, the paintings appear ambiguous and loose, yet...

Gail Chase Bien paints thinly layered oil on linen over extended periods (from months to years) to complete a single work of art. Taking cues from nature’s extraordinary visual offer...

This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...

Fred Kenknight Vintage 1960s "Midday Sun" Abstract Oil Painting Fantastic vintage oil painting signed by Fred Kenknight. Though untitled, we are call...

This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...

Jylian Gustlin’s paintings are process driven – when looking at her work there is a sense the painting was “made” with effort, intention and even strength. The artist starts with an ...

Donna McGinnis’ abstract paintings are composed freely, without concrete ideas of what they will ultimately be. As an intuitive painter, McGinnis’s paintings come into being without ...