In Circle Gets the Square at Amanda Harris Gallery of Contemporary Art, Las Vegas artist RC Wonderly manipulates traditional functions of yarn and OSB panels to create textured, monochromatic works that maintain his minimalist style.

His wafer-thin, geometrically shaped OSB (oriented strand board) panels—rubbed with graphite or painted with gouache—were created through a laborious and intricate process of removing layers of material using a table saw.

Wonderly’s wool and linen works feature yarn that had been cut into two-inch links, pulled apart and then pierced through the back of the work to create a wild but contained field of yellow on the front.

Whether perceived as simple or complicated in appearance, the works (an exhibit of process) demand engagement from the viewer, requiring further investigation to understand their depth.

In playing with the expected physical nature of objects, Wonderly says he isn’t aiming for any narrative. For him, it’s more about the interest in textured surface, particularly the way OSB, when sanded, reveals an often overlooked beauty and exotic appearance created by the manufacturing process.

Though the wood particles themselves appear as a form of brush strokes, Wonderly, a painter at heart, seeks a harmony of color by applying gouache to various strands, highlighting the pieces of wood that interest him while revealing the sanded finish beneath.