Untitled (from Pasadena Box) (Lembark L59) 1963

Sam Francis made this Untitled print, part of the Pasadena Box, with lithography. Looking at these juicy shapes and splatters, it feels like letting go, right? Like Francis just turned the canvas on its side and let the paint drip where it may. But it's also controlled, like he's making a conscious decision about where each color lands. There's something incredibly satisfying about that tension between chance and intention. The colors here—red, blue, green—aren’t mixing so much as sitting side-by-side, which gives the work a kind of raw energy. And the way the ink bleeds and pools reminds you it’s a physical thing, not just some pretty picture. Take that large blue shape on the right. See how it's got this dark outline but the color inside is almost mottled? It's like looking at a cell under a microscope, or maybe a weird, underwater flower. Francis reminds me a little of Joan Miró, actually. Both were masters of making the unplanned look utterly essential, and both understood that art is just as much about the process as it is about the final product.