Magner had hoped that Taos would bring a fresh, new element to his work. What he found was that the natural, radiant light of the region added a sculptural depth to the subjects which he rendered. At this time, Magner was still concentrating mainly on realism, specifically in how light and reflection play on the subject’s surface. A collector of memorabilia, he would use his assortment of objects as props in his artwork. He endeavored to uncover the subject’s inviting, inner light by focusing on the elements of composition, highlight and shadow. Most notably, he began an ambitious project of ten panel paintings which explored the intricate surfaces and detail of military armor. Extremely successful, these pieces became part of a show at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh.

Upon returning to New York in 1996, Magner started work, once again, on more graphic projects and, at the time, chose the pen name, William Arden. ‘I can spend hours setting up a tableux; adding, subtracting and moving objects until I find a composition that I can translate three-dimensionally onto a two-dimensional canvas.’ The seemingly random collection of lines, shapes, and planes are carefully and painstakingly placed in order to create a balanced canvas. Every individual object within the frame is connected to every other object so that the painting flows and remains understandable despite its abstract nature. All of Arden’s planning and deliberate execution leave the viewer with a playful, delightful painting to enjoy.

Most recently his work has begun to incorporate collage and mixed media. He builds on the examples handed down by the masters of modern art and collage, combining different styles of painting in order to create something new and exciting. His selection of subject matter includes the works of early 20th century masters such as Matisse and Picasso and blends them with ‘found objects’ to create his unique designs.