CAN YOU SEE 2011

Rashid Al Khalifa made "Can You See" using linear marks in black against a clean white background. What a question to ask of a painting, as if it can see back at you. I wonder if Rashid felt like he was wrestling with the painting as the image emerged, line by line? It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin’s graphite grids, but these marks have a very different feel. They remind me of a broom, or thick grass. The lines gather at the bottom, a dense mass like the earth itself. Maybe the question is, can you see what I’m trying to do? Can you see the world the way I do? Each artist has their own way of seeing and making, their own way of being in conversation with the world. It’s like we’re all sharing a big, messy studio, inspiring each other across time and space. The beauty of painting is that there is no single way to approach it. It's all about feeling, experimenting, and letting the painting guide you.