Ad Reinhardt's paintings communicated to Gary that the soul of a painting did not appear from a glance, but from mindful observation.  The painting's surface has become an area of exploration that includes physical texture or the lack of it; dimension through illusion, reflection or absorption or in turn a myriad of combinations of these elements  This is especially visible in Gary's drawing of Reinhardt.  

Working at the Philadelphia Museum Education department, Gary had contact with John Hightower who was curator of painting and sculpture. John gave Gary access to  items not on display. John handed Gary an Ad Reinhardt painting that measured 6"x 6" made up of 9 squares all in variations of black. At first it appeared solid black, but little by little the variations of black appeared to Gary’s eyes.  The intimacy, sensitivity and the physical surface forever affected Gary's viewing, working and thinking about art.    Ad Reinhardt’s  understanding of the versatility of black further exposed Gary to the complexity of color and subtlety of comparison.