Falling Leaves 2014

Bernadette Resha made this colorful, autumnal painting in 2013. The leaves don't literally fall; they’re presented in a patchwork of carefully considered planes of warm and cool colors, each contained within its own block. It’s all about the joy of construction, putting things together. The painting has a wonderful surface; it's flat and opaque, and you can see the marks of the brushstrokes. There's no illusionism or blending; each color stands boldly on its own. In the top left, there are some green and black bamboo stems painted directly onto the green ground, each stroke sharp and deliberate. It's such a simple, direct way of representing the bamboo, and it really activates the space around it. It makes you think about the painting as a surface. Resha’s piece, with its mix of patterns and textures, reminds me of the work of someone like Etel Adnan. Both find joy in the simple construction of a painting. Ultimately, "Falling Leaves" is a celebration of color, texture, and the pure pleasure of making.