Untitled No. 1 (2024) is an extremely abstract mixed-media painting; from the bottom, we can see what resembles flowers. This could suggest a landscape scene as it evolves into two trees alongside red blocks of colour; these blocks could be an extension of the field of flowers or shadows from the trees. Above the trees, the glowing red areas look as though they have wings coming from them, which could be interpreted as angels.
The layering within the work takes us to the artist’s main theme: “What is worth keeping or discarding?” as it seems that this layering has consumed parts of the work. The opaque swaths of the oil (or acrylic) paint on the sections seem to have parts of the previous watercolour paint seep through, giving us a tour of the history of the work and its processes. This allows the painting to flow into each section as the flowers take you higher throughout the painting as though they are guiding us.
Untitled No. 3 (2024) is an explosion of vibrant colours that seem to feel as though they are leaving the confines of the paper they are manifested upon. The watercolour of the Crayola markers softens the work and the paper in the process—they look as though they are eroded by the water and are setting markers for the paints on the layers above. It seems the colours within the work are dancing as they seem to avoid each other but move a lot.
The colours blur a lot into each other, which creates a chaotic composition- while the more opaque areas have slightly less activity, which gives a slight balance and stability to the piece. Due to the chaotic nature of the work- it allows the viewer to envision what they would expect to come from the edges of the painting. Thus, it extends beyond the paper and explodes out of the artwork.
Untitled No. 6 (2024) seems much more structured than the previous work. There are lines that guide upwards toward what seems to be a figure- it could be a human, a butterfly, or an angel. The greens within the work create a scene that could be comparable to a field or flora. The blues and yellows which invade this space give it some contrast and much more life- as though it is organic. Thus from these colours and the way that they encroach upon the figure it could seem as though they are growing to become the figure.
As the work is not grounded in ‘finality’, it allows the viewer to fill in the gaps or the story behind the figure (or perhaps- it may not be a figure at all!). The water-colour aspect of the Crayola marker marks, which have been dissolved and diffused by the water, create an evaporative feel – as though the colours are slowly shifting and moving. It also creates a slight air-brush mimicry technique, which gives some form of smoothness to the artwork.
Together, these works create a series in which the viewer can interpret their own stories and fill in the gaps in the elements within the works. It explores both control and surrender and the impermanence of the watercolours. The works are deliberately unfinished, inviting the viewer into a liminal space within the work itself. This results in explosive works which implode with colour and challenge the viewer to imagine the work as it is felt rather than when it is finished. Thus, this unfinished element of the work allows it to have a greater emotional impact on the viewer.