The Pony Tale
2022. Acrylic and paper collage on canvas. 12 x 16 in.
I frankly scorn cheesy play-on-words titles, but this title occurred halfway through the piece and wouldn’t go away. So I accepted it. Gotta say this painting really pleases me. I liked the strength and simplicity of the initial gesture, which was done with a flat brush rather than the round I’d usually use for this purpose. And I’m also quite happy with the muted gray-green ground over the texturing contrasting with the range of reds.
But mostly I like the ambiguity between abstract and narrative here. It almost seems like there is a “tale”, but then again not really. It fits inside the crevice between. I feel no compulsion to figure out which it is; it seems quite complete as is, with no need to be one or the other. I like that place.
Magicgroove: In the Studio 