Yaddo Circle resurrects earlier compositional themes by presenting the circle as subject. This mesmeric form appears in many of the Yaddo works and even later in Circular Move (1984). In each, the dominant geometry is the circle versus horixontal, as through Driskell were testing whether one form can possible subdue the other. A few works from theis period replace the circle with a diamond. Circles and diamonds both convey continuous movement around and within, while horisontals divide, separate, or at best, parallel. Driskell calls forth the powerful stability of the horizon and then works to diffuse it, much like sunset over the ocean might do.
Citation: Driskell, David and McGee, Julie. " David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar", University of Maryland and Beyond, 2006.
_____________

Driskell completed a number of works during his summer residency at Yaddo, a legendary nonprofit retreat for professional creative artists and writers located on a 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Founded by Spencer and Katrina Trask in 1900, Yaddo is one of the preeminent artists' residencies in the United States. Nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, includes the Yaddo Mansion, communal and private living accomodations, and studio space for artists in residence. "Some believe that the land itself at Yaddo is the source of mystical creative power".

Though it was unusual for Driskell to forsake a full summer in Maine, the Yaddo residency was timely: the University of Maryland promised him a retrospective exhibition in the fall of 1980. Driskell had joined the art faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park, in January 1977, just as the groundbreaking exhibition he curated, Two Centuries of Black American Art, opened at its second venue, the High Museum of Art. An artist who found joy in experimentation regardless of media, he took full advantage of the splendor and quietude of Yaddo for such. Inspired by the environs, Driskell made wall hangings and small sculptures from saplings, grape-vines, and other ecological materials, and paintings that exploded with color and new forms such as "Yaddo Circle". This work resurrects earlier compositional themes by presenting the circle as subject. This mesmeric form appears in many of the Yaddo works and even later in Circular Move (1984). In each, the dominant geometry is the circle versus horizontal, as though Driskell were testing whether one form can possibly subdue the other. A few works from this period replace the circle with a diamond. Circles and diamonds both convey continuous movement around and within, while horizontals divide, separate, or, at best, parallel. Driskell calls forth the powerful stability of the horizon and then works to diffuse it, much like a sunset over the ocean might do.

In "Yaddo Circle", Driskell's largest work on handmade paper, the mark and touch of the brush over the textured surface dominate. Driskell's touch, admired by the painter William T. Williams, is intuitive, inventive, and hypnotizing. The colorful brushwork dazzles. Yaddo Circle emerges from the storehouse of Driskell's art historical knowledge and sensory experience. As John Yau surmised, Driskell "absorbed aspects of various styles and, in the cauldron of his art practice, welded them to his personal and cultural history." Driskell's effervescent calligraphy appears to float in and out of the primary geometric matrix. The calligraphic marks, a mix of intersecting loops, curves, and the occasional crosshatches, are similar to those in the horizontal linen collage of Upward Bound.
Citation: Driskell, David and McGee, Julie. " David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar", University of Maryland and Beyond, 2006.