Sean Roarty ’25

By creating color worlds that are both inviting and disorienting, my work explores the intersection of our tangible and intangible experiences with color. Specifically, it examines our physical perception of color—its specific hue, value, and saturation—and our mental expectations regarding what color represents or accomplishes.

Drawing from fields such as color theory, biology, and Gestalt psychology, my abstract compositions incorporate optical effects that result from juxtaposing colors, variations in value or intensity, and the repetition of forms. I also explore surface—sometimes employing dense matte effects or rich glosses, and other times patiently layering countless transparent colors to achieve jewel-like depth and complexity. These techniques provide me with a powerful language to explore an expansive world of color.