In defining and exposing the elements of beauty, try this: paint backwards. That is to say, paint uninhibited without the end in mind. And when the work is complete, you will simply know. The piece of art will feel familiar, in place, and of great, almost historical, importance - like it has always been.
Now try this too: in painting backwards, also paint in a destructive fashion, redefining the piece with every stroke, splatter, spray, or whatever it is you do. Eventually there will be a certain unexpected serenity in the piece; colors and patterns seldom or never used will now harmonize and expose beauty like the dust settling after some great war. In painting this way, I sometimes imagine I am a city planner, the world is in ruins, and all I have are bombs to make it whole again.
Unlike something contrived and planned, the backwards piece will not hide the process in its final stroke. Rather, the tug-o-war between human control and nature will sprout up in layer after layer to come to a fully satisfying, abstract, and natural resolve.
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| The color green and white erupt in a yellow-red war. |
