Where The Creek Hits The Rise 1988

Ronnie Landfield made this painting, Where The Creek Hits The Rise, and its dreamy colour palette gives the impression of a landscape viewed through a heat haze. It’s about mark-making, a record of process; you can see the hand of the artist right there on the canvas. Look at how the blues in the lower part of the painting shift into the pinks and yellows above, like atmospheric layers. The paint isn't overworked but applied in loose washes and layered strokes. The black and red columns on either side aren’t quite symmetrical, but they act like framing devices, pulling you into the picture. Notice the small details like the cross-hatched lines in the lower register, which give the impression of reflected light. Landfield was part of the lyrical abstraction movement, and you can definitely see echoes of that in his work here. It brings to mind the early work of someone like Helen Frankenthaler, although Landfield has his own distinct voice and vision. It’s all about the ongoing conversation between artists across time.