II. I was of three minds

Series: 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
Medium: Oil based woodblock print on cream paper
Dimensions: 15 x 15 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1935 - 2022
Date finished: 2018
Date of plate: 1986
Edition: of 10
Printer: Sidereal Fine Art Press
Condition: SFAP Chop in the lower right hand corner.

Recommended by Rebecca (Gallery Associate):

This series, '13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird' by Michael Spafford, is the artist's interpretation of a poem by Wallace Stevens. For this piece, the poem reads: "I was of three minds / Like a tree / In which there are three blackbirds." Spafford was a beloved Northwest artist and a teacher at the University of Washington for more than 30 years. His work focused on abstracting mythology into compressed, black and white forms. 'I Was of Three Minds' showcases Spafford's powerful simplicity, where the blackbirds intersect in the figure's mind at the point of a triangle, visible only because of the white grid crossing the black face. It is clear yet complex, perfectly echoing the poem.