Flower Light 1990

Eugene Brands made this painting, Flower Light, and I can only imagine the back and forth he had with the canvas, letting it breathe, adding, subtracting, until something like a flower emerged. I love the simple palette, the earthiness of it. See how the ground is this kind of warm, raw, beige-y color, and then this fat swipe of black sits at the bottom, holding everything up? And then this almost angelic swoosh of white hovers above, with a tiny, bright red square nearby. The white area looks like it was built up gradually. What I love about painting is how an artist’s hand can be so present, so expressive, even with the simplest mark. You can see the intention and feeling in it. It makes me think of Joan Miro, always reaching for these simple gestures. We painters are always talking to each other, across time, borrowing, stealing, and being inspired! And really, what is painting other than a long conversation, a question without an answer?