Vibrant Abstractionist Don Sorenson, 36, Dies

Don Sorenson, whose vibrant abstractions led to his winning the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Young Talent Purchase Award last year, is dead of pneumonia at 36.

He died Dec. 14 in an Encinitas Hospital.

A graduate of California State University, Northridge, who exhibited extensively at the Nicholas Wilder and Roy Boyd galleries and at Mount St. Mary’s College, Sorenson was known for his interlocking zigzag stripes and whorl patterns, which he formed with masking tape. He later adapted the technique to illustrate mythological figures.

Suzanne Muchnic, The Times art writer, said Sorenson “was a gifted artist who gained critical acclaim very early in his career. He first proved his aesthetic mettle with dynamic abstractions that resemble intricately woven fields of lightning. As he developed that motif in paintings of widely varied moods and colors, his exhibition credits grew and his meticulously orchestrated zigzags became a sort of trademark.

“In recent years he widened his scope and proved his skill as a draftsman, incorporating classical figures and mythical themes into expressionistic paintings.”

His survivors include his parents, Vernon and Gail Sorenson, and two brothers.