The Fractions are a large body of small works on paper that Larry Bell made using collaged pieces of discarded Mirage works. Each Fraction is composed of one or more 3×3” shards of the larger compositions fused to a 10×10” substrate. The process involves a laminate press; heat and pressure loosen deposits of paint and thin-film coating, resulting in unpredictable wispy gestural lines and flowing forms. Bell began the series in 1996, setting out to make ten thousand Fractions. In five years he had completed 12,000.