Untitled, 04D010 2004

Kathleen Petyarre made this painting, titled Untitled, using a very specific method of tiny dots to build up the image. When you look at it, you can really feel the amount of time and care that went into it. There’s this amazing all-overness to the surface, a kind of buzzing, like a field of energy. The ochre color is so earthy and warm, and the dotted texture makes it almost vibrate. There are lines that cut across the painting, but even they are made up of these tiny dots. Look at the center where the lines intersect; it’s like a soft explosion of light, a subtle shift in tone that draws you in. Petyarre's work reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, in the sense of a similar devotion to a kind of meditative mark-making and the beauty of simple gestures. It's a reminder that art can be about a process, a journey, rather than just a destination. And it’s really about experiencing the world in a different way.