Swing Low 1988

Editor: Dan Christensen’s "Swing Low," created in 1988 using acrylic on canvas. There's something about those layered lines that gives me the feeling of peering through heat haze – shimmering and a little disorienting. What do you make of it? Curator: Heat haze, you say? I love that. To me, it’s more like a landscape seen through a faulty television screen—static and slightly off-kilter, which fits nicely with the abstract expressionist ethos. Are those lines meticulously planned or are they the result of some happy accidents? Editor: That’s a great question! Knowing how Christensen worked, layering and building up color, I’d guess it's a mix. The structure is deliberate, I think, but the drips and imperfections give it that feeling of spontaneity. But tell me more about its abstract expressionist vibe; is it pure feeling? Curator: Not pure, maybe distilled? I imagine Christensen standing before that canvas, possessed by the memory of light on water or the feel of a summer breeze. Then he lets his gestures speak. There's something almost mystical in those wavering horizontals that hint at an unseen world – but of course this could be the world he's building up. Editor: "Mystical horizontals" – I love the poetry! Curator: Right? I think it's a lovely description... though next week I will probably hate it. Seriously, though, isn't it funny how a simple collection of lines can evoke such complex emotions and connections? Editor: It really is. Thanks, I'll definitely be looking at those 'mystical horizontals' a little differently now!