Jarrow Wine 1985

Basil Beattie made this painting, Jarrow Wine, with what looks like oil paint applied with great enthusiasm. The process feels right there on the surface. Look at the texture – thick impasto creating a landscape of ridges and valleys! The color palette is bold, with contrasting blues, reds, yellows, and greens creating a vibrant and energetic composition. The brushstrokes are raw and immediate, capturing a sense of urgency and spontaneity. The swirl in the middle of the canvas, that orangey-yellow brushstroke, is particularly captivating. It’s as if Beattie started there and the rest of the composition grew around it. Beattie’s commitment to abstraction and expression resonates with the work of artists like Joan Mitchell, who similarly embraced the physicality of paint and the emotive power of color. These are not fixed, representational images, but ongoing conversations in paint.