Don Quade’s mixed-media, abstract paintings tell stories of people, places, experiences and the mystery and wonder of living. The paintings are alive with rhythm and movement. The segments within a painting contain images and planes of color that are simultaneously independent and co-dependant. The coexistence of smaller compositions within a larger painting is symbolic of the interconnectivity shared between living and inanimate objects. Don’s style combines abstraction with imagery and colors and his use of dark details on light-colored grounds makes the pieces operate differently, depending on the viewer’s vantage point. From a distance, there’s a geometric organization to the pictures, with dark forms: rectangles, squares or circles, standing out against lighter, dominant color fields. Up close, the surface is crowded with drawn and painted details. Don’s goal is to find an aesthetically pleasing middle ground between the conflicting simple and complex driving forces found in everyday life. “I like to think that juxtaposing these images creates a sense of “friendly friction” that draws the viewer in for closer examination,” he explains.