JW Harrington, Reach, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in, 1.5"

JW Harrington often focuses on non-objective abstraction, offering few or no direct visual cues linking the composition to recognizable human or physical objects. Through this approach, he explores how abstract imagery can convey and evoke meanings that feel more universal and enduring than the transient forms of nature and lived experience.

His work considers abstraction as a space where interpretation is both deeply individual and broadly shared, highlighting the connections between natural, physical, and human systems. The title The Impossibility of Knowing reflects his interest in the relationship between memory, imagination, and perception, and how these forces compare to what is considered "real" or directly observed.

In these paintings, solid shapes, figures, or silhouettes interact with mirrored outlines against shadowed backgrounds. Forms are paired with reflections, shadows, or implied temporal counterparts, suggesting past, future, or alternate states of being. This interplay generates visual tension as shapes are pulled in opposing directions, while also creating interpretive openness as each element engages with its complement.