Parenting Color

November 22, 2020

I’m working on a new painting called “Boy with the Pearl Earring.”

After texting an image of the work in progress to my friend Lee Ann, we had the following exchange via text:

Me: The spirit of this painting is calling to me. It’s such a fascinating dance when this happens.

LA: beautiful!

Me: I can’t tell yet. Beauty is such an interesting concept. All I know is that the image has a life of it’s own. How it makes it way to other people’s consciousness is a mystery to me. I’m just trying to stay true to myself. As you know, that’s where the amazing work is!

LA: Yes. That’s the only place to be…

Me: One of my favorite parts of painting is listening to the colors. Trying to understand how they want to play together. And sometimes how some colors want to dominate and be heard above the others. Me, like a parent, encouraging harmony but also kind of proud when I feel them asserting themselves in interesting ways. I particularly like how red just wants to pop, even when pinked down, you can feel it vibrating, bursting through like like life itself.

LA: lovely