James Turrell's earliest exploration of light occurred in his Mendota Hotel studio from 1966-1974. During this time, Turrell projected light onto the walls of an otherwise dark room. The "Projection Pieces" were made up of various shapes and might include projection onto a flat wall, corner or both.

Turrell states: "From a distance the shape has solidity, but appeared to be literally composed of light....Advancing toward the image, the image would eventually dissolve to a point where you saw not an object in space, but the actual light on the wall."

In 1989-90, Turrell presented some of these Projection Pieces as editioned prints - "First Light" - Aquatint & etching, "Decker" is from this early series - 42" x 30", edition of 30. First light was Turrell's third set of prints. A fascinating exploration of light and space.

A Retrospective of Turrells' work will take place at LACMA and then travel to the MFA-Houston & the Guggenheim in New York. This is a must see exhibit.