Four by Four

Four by Four is one of a series of chests that Tom Loeser created in the early 1990s. The limited range of milk-based colors in each quadrant call attention to the gouges in the wood, so that the ​“stripes enhance the stripes.” After he applies the different tones of paint, Loeser lightly sands the ridges to bring our attention back to the elegant mahogany that lies beneath. The title is part of the mystery, playing on the four patterned ​“drawers” found in each of four quadrants that mask the six actual drawers.