The Unravelling | Amber and Black | Abstract Stepping Stones Collection

The Work

Two large black concentric circles sit side by side across the warm amber field, their rings painted with the kind of deliberate thickness that makes them feel structural rather than decorative. The background burns in orange, amber, and teal, loose brushwork moving in all directions beneath the circular forms. Paint drips descend from the black rings in thin vertical threads. Splattered orange dots scatter across the surface. Fine white highlights punctuate the darkness inside each ring. The contrast between the solidity of the circular forms and the raw energy of the ground beneath them creates a composition permanently caught between holding together and coming apart.

The Inspiration

The unravelling this piece speaks to is not destruction. It is the loosening of something that was never quite right to begin with. The concentric circles reference structure, systems, patterns that were built with intention. But the warm, chaotic ground beneath them tells a different story. Something older. Something that was there before the structure arrived and will still be there after. The drips are not failure. They are honesty.

What It Carries

The visual push and pull of this piece is relentless. The eye moves between the stark black rings and the burning amber field, unable to settle on which one is dominant. That tension is the point. It is the same tension felt in any moment of genuine unravelling, the simultaneous presence of what was and what is beginning to emerge. It is not comfortable. It is alive.

Living With It

Amber and black carry an energy that suits spaces built for focus and feeling. This piece works in rooms where the furniture is dark and deliberate, where leather, timber, and matte black finishes set the tone. It also plays beautifully against warm terracotta, aged copper, and raw plaster. Best suited to a large format. At A0, the dual circular forms read with full compositional authority.

Who It's For

For the person who understands that some things have to come undone before they can become something worth keeping.

A Note on Sizes

This design is available in a range of sizes to suit your space. Available as A0 and A1 poster prints, rolled and shipped. Also available as mounted canvas prints in 16mm, 25mm, 35mm, and 50mm profile thicknesses in both A0 and A1. A large format 1200 x 2000mm option is available on both poster and mounted canvas. Email jacques@jacquesviljoen.co.za for a quote and full details. Please note that proportions shown in previews are for display purposes only. Your final print dimensions will depend on the size you select.

The most popular size across our canvas range is the A0 in a 35mm profile frame.