Roll Your Own (Zig-Zag) 1963

Ronald Davis made "Roll Your Own (Zig-Zag)" with acrylic on canvas, and when I look at it, I imagine him lost in the act of painting, experimenting with sharp geometric forms and optical effects. The painting is dominated by bold, graphic patterns. On one side, concentric black and white arcs create an almost hypnotic effect, pulling you in. Then, there is this rhythm of green triangles and a dizzying checkerboard of orange and muted green with soft pink circles. I wonder what Davis was thinking as he laid down each stripe, each square. Did he feel a sense of control, precision? Or was he surprised by the way the colors and shapes interacted, creating visual vibrations and illusions of depth. It reminds me a bit of Bridget Riley's Op Art, but with a kind of West Coast twist. It's like Davis is exploring how painting can mess with our perception, how it can create these pulsating, almost hallucinatory experiences. It is exciting to see artists riffing off of each other and having this conversation across time.