Untitled (Floaters) 1998

Al Taylor made this untitled work on paper using ink and watercolor. The palette is restrained, almost exclusively grayscale. It’s all about the push and pull of tones and how they create a sense of depth and movement. You can see how the process of artmaking becomes a kind of experiment; a way of working things out. The ink washes are like ghosts, with shapes layered over each other, creating a sense of transparency. I love the way the lines feel both precise and tentative, not quite sure of themselves. They crisscross the page, connecting and dividing the space. Take a look at the lower left corner – how a dark, solid shape abuts a translucent form, throwing the whole image into a playful tension. It reminds me a bit of Richard Tuttle, in the way Taylor turns mundane observations into something special. Art's not about answers, is it? It's all about keeping the conversation going.