Untitled (from Collection Resonance) 2011

Monique Orsini made this painting, one from a collection called Resonance, with a real sense of openness, as if the image came together through a process of free association. The brushwork is loose and gestural. Strident, bold strokes of red and black dominate the canvas, but the underlying white ground is visible through a wash of pink. This really shows off the physicality of the paint. It’s like she's having a conversation with the materials, allowing the texture and color to guide her. Focus on how one of the large black strokes that dominates the right side of the painting seems to have been applied with a big brush, or maybe even a rag. There's a real tension between intention and accident. I get the feeling of someone like Joan Mitchell here. Both artists knew how to balance control and chance, leaving room for multiple interpretations. That’s what’s great about painting, isn’t it?