"Sometimes, when looking at Rohrer's paintings, there are exciting moments when we see unintended correspondances to life, the happenstancial mimesis of water, sky or land. But more electric are the instances when we look at life and discover intimations of his own artistic vision. There is a natural consonance between Rohrer's dappled, abstract canvases and the scalloped swells of a hornet's nest, or the toothy signature of a chain-saw blade. Like the artisans who glazed speckles spongeware, or decorated chests with painted grains, Rohrer conveys his body rhythms in the patterning of strokes. His sources lie here in the world of crafts, as much as they do in the history of painting.
The artist uses square canvases, periodically changing the designation of top and bottom by shifting its position a quarter turn. On the underlayers, Rohrer's marks may follow a cylindrical or diagonal path, or bell in the center like the profile of a derby. On what he calls this layer of 'writing,' Rohrer will take color for a walk, stepping through the multiple surfaces which are otherwise difficult to disengage. His canny ability to calculate a hue's relative and real value while controlling its weight and density is most evident in the top layer. Frequently, the edges serve as a record of process, offering a partial window through the multiple surfaces which are otherwise difficult to disengage. Rohrer's paitnings have the presence of ethereal forces, persuaded by his gestural eloquesnce into more permanent residence."
- Judith Stein, Locks Art Publications, 2002
