Rigorous geometry and a strong line are hallmarks of Staprans's painting. Though superficially associated with the paintings of Wayne Thiebaud, due to similar subject matter and a high-keyed "California" palette, Staprans' work is more akin to the formal abstractions of painters Josef Albers and Piet Mondrian. Staprans himself has stated that he is "an abstract painter whose objects are recognizable and sometimes quite realistic, but [in reality] they are all … constructed from the ground up in absolutely abstract terms."