Colored Glass Plates is a part of Pacita Abad’s ‘Endless Blues’ series (2001-3), an homage to the Blues music that greatly influenced her work, and that which draws many parallels with her own life. In 2001, Abad, like many others, was grappling with the aftermath of the September 11th attacks and the ensuing war in Afghanistan. Having lived in lower Manhattan and hitchhiked around Afghanistan, these were deeply personal places for the artist. On top of this, Abad was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer later that year. “The emotional and physical sense of uncertainty, as well as the doctor’s travel ban, made me take refuge in my studio,” the artist explains. [1] There, she would blast Blues music and immerse herself in her work as a kind of therapy. In describing this series, the artist stated: “Like the blues, my paintings are always strong, sometimes sad, but nostalgic and very colorful.” [2] Much like the music that inspired it, Colored Glass Plates captures the dynamism and expressive vibrance are life-affirming forces that give one strength in times of immense difficulty.

[1] Pacita Abad in Pacita Abad & Ian Findlay-Brown, Pacita Abad: Endless Blues (2002), pp. 8-9.
[2] Ibid.