In 1962, Sam Gilliam moved from Louisville, Kentucky to Washington D.C. and quickly became involved in the Washington Color School, a broad artistic movement of abstract artists interested in the impact of color in painting and sculpture. His series of “draped” paintings, made from 1965 to 1975, used the three-dimensionality of canvas to bring his subtle variations of color into the viewer’s world. Gilliam’s painting techniques were improvisational, much like the jazz artists he listened to and admired. He squeezed and folded canvases still wet with paint, experimented with paint pouring, and incorporated mixed media elements like metal, rocks, and cowhide strips like those in "Balance." Though his work underwent many stylistic changes throughout his career, he always experimented and pushed the boundaries of what is considered painting. To artist Rashid Johnson, Gilliam’s endless creativity was inspiring. In an interview following Gilliam’s passing, Johnson spoke of “just watching Sam explore with an honest and radical sense of self. That radicality was attached to improvisation and innovation.”

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