All I Need

All I Need, w/c, 3" x 4"

The fourth in my 30 Non-Objective Paintings in January 2019. This one took on a life of its own, in a way. I liked that but it was a little more challenging.

I began with the large peach wash from the top, dropping in the opera pink in the middle left area. As I dripped water into the paint, these lovely blooms grew up, forming delicate edges and lacy interactions. I injected some pale yellow-green into the bloom and stopped, loving the color interactions there.

The choice to use the viridian greens was intuitive and a little risky. Inspired by the photo, I designed the shapes and values of those strokes carefully, then stopped to let them dry, fully intending to put in more small details.

However, once the paint dried, I hesitated, wanting to go on but not confident that anything I added would improve the painting. It seemed complete, despite my inclination to do more. For once, I simply decided to let the painting win. That hesitation became determination not to overdo.

I like the white interstices that occurred between the paint in the initial layer, which I respected as I added the viridian strokes. I think the shapes do a good job of guiding your eye without pushing you around too much. They achieve an odd balance with the rest of the painting that, combined with the color contrasts, is satisfying.