La Perruche et la Sirene 1952

Henri Matisse made this playful composition of cut paper shapes; a dance of colour. It is a joyful symphony where you can almost feel him moving the pieces around. Imagine Matisse in his studio; maybe he was cutting out those shapes and sticking them on a white canvas to create the scene. The parrot and the mermaid—what a fantastic pair! They float with coral, seaweed, and little flowers. The solid blocks of colour are so striking, aren’t they? Those shapes are the key to the painting's visual impact; I think of them as abstract gestures. They communicate so much with so little. Matisse really lets his colours do the talking. In my own practice I find myself in an ongoing conversation with other artists. They are constantly inspiring my own creative process. It is a dialogue across time, where ideas are exchanged and transformed. Painting embraces uncertainty, inviting multiple interpretations rather than fixed meanings. Isn’t that wonderful?