Animals 2013

Marina Pallares made this painting, called Animals, with who knows what, maybe acrylics, and when, who cares? What strikes me is the dance of color and form. She just goes for it, letting shapes emerge like they’re characters in a play she’s directing. You get the sense she’s not trying to control it too much, which is brave. Look at the turtle down there near the bottom. It's all these earthy oranges and browns, and the shell has this great texture, like she was really getting into the physical feel of the paint. It’s not just a turtle; it’s a whole world of tactile experience. It reminds me a bit of early Hockney, or maybe even some of those folk artists who just keep adding to the canvas until it sings. Pallares embraces ambiguity, she lets things be a little raw, a little unfinished. It's like she’s saying, "Here’s a world, come explore it with me, but don’t expect all the answers."