19 May 2025
This new painting of Yena laying down a picnic blanket is doing exactly what I want it to do, finally. Have been trying to paint picnics/blankets for a while now, but have always been caught up in the lusciousness of fabric, the contrast with the grass. The difference in this one is that the blanket shape is made from strokes of very diluted, thin wash, a delicate bloom like a jellyfish hovering over the grass, its shadow anchoring the bottom only (maybe as the last of the unfurling end settles). I also feel good about the way the figure at the top is handled, not too overworked, textural but not obnoxiously so, faithful to the eye but allowing limbs to cut off and abstract themselves as they want. Also glad that real people, real love, real community has become the specificity again. That's right for right now, especially after sensing camaraderie so strongly in Gabe's wonderful work over the past couple of days.