Black is a color

Synchronicity is a strange thing. I made a commitment to exhibit my large paintings (and I have quite a few piled up now) at the Art College’s Anna Leonowens Gallery in May or June (not sure of the date yet). And I decided I needed something different to go along with the usual colors (red/blue/yellow/green). And decided on Indigo, which seems to be black (but IS Indigo). And of course the association is to Robert and his recent death. And of course I think about him when I am painting and always have. He was such a strong influence. He often gave valuable critiques and was also very enthusiastic about my work, especially the recent paintings. I’d send him photographs and we would talk about what was happening in the work. It was always helpful. But in typical Robert style, he didn’t understand why I valued his input so much.

I plan to put this “black” painting in the exhibit. I have also been working on a pale green painting. It’s a triptych. I will have the green and a blue triptych (which was a long struggle in its production) and three diptychs (the black, a red and a yellow; all pieces came together quickly). And then some small (very small: 6” x 6”) pieces. (I think the contrast will be interesting.) At this point, even with only a month’s notice, it feels like the colors and sizes of this exhibit will be balanced.

Meanwhile the green painting has been an long obsession for me. I’ve asked several people who’ve seen it for input. The main question has been about one area that felt too busy but was, in itself, very interesting. Most people liked it, but I still felt uncomfortable. So today, I bit the brush (so to speak, especially since I don’t use brushes!) and calmed it down. And it looks so much better. The bottom line seems to be: when I need to ask, obviously it is not right. When a painting is right, it feels right and that’s it.