Mario Naves blogs about the work of Douglas Florian on the occasion of Florian's exhibition Dawn Thieves at BravinLee Programs, New York, on view through May 5, 2012.

Naves writes that "Florian creates heraldic images that simultaneously bring to mind the natural world, the Hebrew alphabet, Indian miniatures, graffiti and astronomical diagrams. Made with gouache and spare oddments of collage, the works are swiftly realized, but not always fast in final effect… Florian channels both the cosmic and the microcellular with breathtaking economy."