“Ruby Throated” 24×24, oil on canvas Buy Now
This is what I meant to do in the beginning of this 31 days: Completely abstract the form such that you can only see the image upon which it’s based if you know to look for it. It took the previous two days’ paintings to get here, but I’m finally here.
This way it is not so much “I love hummingbirds” as it is “I like how bright red pops next to greyer greens.” This is my humble attempt to show you what I love most about the original image and, robbed of its ability to represent something else entirely, invite you, warmly I hope, to see a boldly independent beauty. One that does not rely upon associations or memories. One that just is.
Yesterday afternoon I began this painting by referencing the first two the entire time. This morning I finished it without looking at them at all. We did this kind of dance– “what do you need?” I asked the painting. “Light blue” it would answer. And so on.