Phenomena Sound of Sundials 1971

Paul Jenkins made "Phenomena Sound of Sundials," and well, it’s hard to put a date on feeling, isn't it? In this piece, the colors blend like watercolors bleeding on a humid day, all soft edges and no harsh lines. It's about letting go, letting the paint do its thing. Looking at it, I’m struck by how Jenkins coaxes the paint across the canvas. It's thin, translucent, like he's staining the canvas rather than covering it. The colors pool and mix, creating these dreamy, ethereal effects. There’s one spot, a smudge of red bleeding into blue, that catches my eye. It’s messy, imperfect, but it’s also where the painting comes alive. It’s like he’s inviting us to see the beauty in the unexpected. It makes me think a bit of Helen Frankenthaler’s soak-stain paintings, where the canvas becomes a ground for experimentation. But Jenkins has his own thing going on. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the process. About embracing the happy accidents that happen along the way. And that’s something I can definitely get behind.