Blue and Red Balls 1962

Sam Francis gave us “Blue and Red Balls,” a playful dance of color, line, and form, that I imagine was made with ink or very fluid paint, judging by the way it blooms on the page. I can picture Francis hovering over the paper, brush in hand, letting the paint drip and pool, coaxing these organic shapes into being. There’s a sense of spontaneity here, like he’s chasing after something just out of reach, a feeling, a memory, a fleeting moment of inspiration. The blue and red hues interact with each other in a way that feels both chaotic and harmonious, a testament to the artist’s intuitive understanding of color relationships. It makes me think about Helen Frankenthaler’s soak-stain paintings, or even Joan Miró's playful compositions. It’s like all these painters are in conversation, each one riffing off the other, pushing the boundaries of what painting can be. Ultimately, this work is about the joy of painting, the thrill of experimentation, and the endless possibilities that unfold when you let go and allow the materials to guide you. It is a form of embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, which allows for multiple interpretations.