Coxsackie-based painter James Dustin trained as a graphic designer and spent years working with architects on various design projects, including building architectural models. In the late '90s, Dustin began incorporating models into his paintings in a process that evolved into his present method. First, Dustin sketches and then constructs an architectural model— what he calls"pavilions." He then takes his model outdoors, places it on a turntable, and spins it until he finds the "crisp" light he's after. Dustin then paints in his studio from color photos he shoots of the models.Dustin's paintings, as well as his models, will be exhibited as part of a two-person show August 5 through September 6 at the Athens Cultural Center. (518) 945-2136; www.athensculturalcenter.org

Pure Space I'm interested in making pure spaces. There's a model, and the model acts as a framing device for the painting. In the paintings you can't tell how big everything is, there are no figures, the scale is ambiguous. You know, kind of making the perfect little space. It's interesting, I live in this historic house. And the reason I bought it was that it was a great space, it has great proportions in terms of rooms and details. And then you look at all the rooms, and they're filled with junk. The idea is that the model is kind of enclosed, but not enclosed, pure space. Quality and Rigor If an architect is building a building, there's a quality of thought and rigorousness that goes into it and somehow that's reflected in the final result. And the more buildings one builds, or the more paintings one's made, you kind of have to be careful that they don't become route, in terms of, oh here's another one, here's another one. You kind of have to come back and approach it with a fresh eye, a fresh approach to make sure it maintains that integrity and edge at the same time. Modernism I grew up in the '60s and '70s, so modernism had a nasty connotation because it had been played out to some degree, whereas in the '20s and '30s it was the new thing. And so it took my art school education and a lot of work with architects to look back and appreciate the quality of the original structures and original kinds of modernist buildings versus the kind of knock-off stuff that came after. Rooftop Tableau One day when I was in Brooklyn, I thought it would be cool to set up a little model or little tableau on my roof. I just set it up provisionally. I made little skylights and blocks, like building blocks, and then photographed them and then threw everything into a box and just said, "OK that's it." When I made the paintings and showed the work, the dealer said, "Wouldn't it be interesting to make some actual models?" And I jumped at the chance. It got more elaborate in terms of having to control and figure out how the thing is going to look as a model. Originally, I was dealing with more interior space, looking outward so it was more of a contemporary look then what the inside of the model looked like. Now I'm more concerned, or as concerned, with what the whole physical object looks like. When I present the paintings, I present them with the models as well, so you have a point of reference and comparison between the model space and the painting space.