Sean Scully loves to paint. The bulk of the pieces currently on view at The Phillips Collection are wall-sized oil paintings saturated with rich color and layer upon layer of paint. Visible brushstrokes are everywhere. The tones vary from cool grays, blues and blacks to warm rusts, yellows and pinks. The floating blocks of color — reminscent of Rothko — have blurred, soft edges. Bright yellows and oranges peek through darker foreground colors.

Even without the explanatory wall labels, you get the sense that the different paintings transport you to different areas of the world. Scully, originally from Ireland, has studios in Germany, New York, and Barcelona, and has also made working trips to Morocco and Mexico. Different locales inspire him to use palettes that reflect those areas. Certain events in his life also inspire varied colors; a painting made upon his father’s death is heavy with greys and blacks.

No matter the weight of the topic or color palette, however, there always seems to be a ray of light (or hope?) shining out through the “cracks” in the color blocks.

In addition to the “Wall of Light” series (an ongoing series begun in 1998), early works by Scully and works on paper are on display. The exhibition is on view at The Phillips Collection until January 8.