684 is the second, large piece in the early series of Wheel and Vessel paintings, and was done shortly after moving to New York to attend graduate school. The composition is a formal response to In Memory of Dead Friends in that the colors and contrasts are decidedly stronger and clearer. In terms of subject matter, it primarily is a transference of my previous theme into a new context, but resonates with a kind of Art-Deco energy and excitement. The title comes from the highway number between my old and my newfound home at the time.