Initium 2021

Michael Cheval, born in 1966, painted "Initium" with what looks like oil paint. Just look at the colors! The painting came into being through trial, error, and intuition. I can almost imagine the artist pondering each color choice, shifting and refining until the perfect harmony emerged. I can imagine the artist being sympathetic with their subject matter. What was he thinking when he made it? What is so alluring is how the painting can communicate feeling, intention, or meaning. The paint looks so thin. You can see how the artist really put the time into layering colors over each other. The owls are a nice touch, they make me smile. Painters are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. The painting embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings.