John Robert Willer had an open house at WilloSpring this past Dec. 1-2. I hope you were lucky enough to catch it. My impression of this show of over one month ago brings to mind my favorites: the larger abstractions.

Willer displays his command of painting, for example, in 2007's Point of No Memory, 23" by 48". Amorphous elements are highlighted with an occasional painted stroke of red, or with bits of springtime green and blue. The green is from his 2006 Artery panel. Bounded freely on both sides with a duo of light ochre and yellowed white, the cooler central colors are held in place by the sunny cloud colored sides. It leaves you swirling in blue.

The other ones I really liked were Puttin' on the Ritz I and II, both from 2005. These are smooth surfaced oil on masonite paintings, 40" by 48". Here a red patch in one, and an orange patch in the other present the viewer with a center-of-focus as though it were an afterthought. As they lose their power to pin things down, incidental references to a little cottage and perhaps a violet bird appear. But these are not meant to hold us either and become meaningless. Isn't that what an abstraction is all about? Not a destination, but a journey. A painting that stays in the moment by casually tossing away its compositional elements. You can get lost in these.

John Willer has said, "I learn something new every time I paint." I suggest you consider these artworks, if you get a chance to see them, for longer than it takes to suck a piece of candy all the way down. They are as fresh and inspiring from when you first see them 'till when you're done and more.