Pencils Exp7 2018

Alfio Giuffrida made this painting, “Pencils Exp7,” with who knows what—but I'm guessing acrylic on canvas. The dominant colors are blues and browns contained by a red structure on a pale pink background. I like to imagine Giuffrida in the studio, starting with loose shapes, maybe not even knowing they're pencils yet! I wonder about the artist's intention here, what goes through their mind as they move between colors and shapes? Did the idea for a painting about pencils emerge from a playful arrangement of objects, or was it a deliberate commentary on the tools of creation? There are these random kitchen implements floating around between the pencils, and that just makes me think of all the stuff an artist sees and is inspired by in their day-to-day life. The thin paint application allows the underlying structure to peek through, creating a sense of depth. The solid, blocky colors and simple shapes communicate feeling directly, almost childlike, but sophisticated too. It all reminds me that as painters, we are all having a conversation with each other.