For over 40 years Stuart Arends has used the neutral form of a cube made out of wood, found wood, wax, aluminum or
steel, as the basis for his artistic investigations. The way in which the oil paint and wax are applied is intended to pull the viewer into an intimate, immediate, experience, and to communicate on a sensual, or felt, level.
The small scale of the works is in sharp contrast to the vastness of the arid New Mexico desert that surrounds him.
He intentionally lives in isolation far from the distractions of the urban scene.

He said, “Its not just because I prefer it, it’s actually something I need. The desert feeds the work in a way that
I wouldn’t get anywhere else”.

For his current exhibition at Studio la Citta, Arends has returned to the basic form of a box with the flaps “unfolded”. This format has appeared on occasion
throughout his career starting in 1980, with his first cardboard object/box: “Untitled With Red”. In 2000 the unfolded became wood and aluminum in 2006. Today,
Arends returns to that original form and imbues it with a renewed energy. With these new works, a drawing consisting of written words is applied as the first layer
followed by 2 or 3 layers of thumb prints of different colors; the drawn words becoming the title.