Artwork copyright Michael Caldwell. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2020.

False Doors #5, 1990

Michael Caldwell
American (born 1942)

Location: Walla Walla Community College, Walla Walla

About the Artwork

False Doors #5 is a painting by artist Michael Caldwell. It is part of a series exploring the relationship between place, memory, and the mysterious. He notes, "The central rectangular shape that serves as a repeated motif in my work functions as a visual doorway that admits the viewer to the realm of memory." He created this piece by layering paint colors using a stick form of oil paint and a palette knife. He created the sharp lines using masking tape.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Walla Walla Community College.

About the Artist

Caldwell earned a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Oregon in Eugene. He is Professor Emeritus of Art at Seattle Pacific University where he taught from 1970 to 2006.