Fog In The Hollow 1974

Editor: Here we have Sam Gilliam’s "Fog In The Hollow," a mixed-media work from 1974. It looks like it could be watercolor on textile, and creates the illusion of a dreamy, vibrant garden viewed through a hazy lens. It makes me wonder—what exactly *am* I seeing here? How do you interpret this work? Curator: Ah, yes, Gilliam. A true explorer of color and form. It feels almost synesthetic, doesn’t it? Like hearing colors rather than just seeing them. He moved beyond the stretched canvas, freeing color. I like to think the "Fog" isn’t just an environmental effect but something more internal - a blurring of boundaries, a softening of perception. The textile support really sings, dissolving into this dream world. What sort of feelings come to the surface? Editor: Definitely dreamlike… and a bit unsettling too. The "fog" makes it hard to get a firm grip on any single object, almost like trying to recall a dream. Curator: Exactly! And the circles... they float, suggesting transience. Are they bubbles? Cells? The eye struggles to lock in, flitting across the surface like light on water. Sam offers a painting where clarity surrenders to a feeling. Editor: So it's less about 'understanding' and more about 'experiencing?' Curator: Precisely. What appears initially as mere pattern explodes in complexity, resisting resolution. To understand the piece, you have to let go of any preconceived need for representational grounding. Instead it is meant to invoke, like the shifting moods that dance within us all. Editor: I love the idea of 'hearing' colors; now I cannot get it out of my head when I look at this textile! Thanks for illuminating a new way to experience art. Curator: You got it. Art whispers; our job is to listen and dream.