Sun Up 1964

Sam Francis made "Sun Up" with big shapes and splatters of primary colors, giving the impression of making art as a process. The canvas feels like a playground of color. The paint isn't trying to be anything but itself, gloriously runny and free, especially those drips and splatters! I am drawn to that blue curve at the top right. It’s got this incredible depth, like you could dive right in, but it also feels precarious, about to burst. Francis reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell. Both of them use color and gesture to create these amazing, open-ended experiences. It's like they're saying, "Here’s a feeling, now you feel it too, but in your own way." And isn’t that what art is all about?