Cold Mountain Series, Zen Study 6 1991

Brice Marden made this work, Cold Mountain Series, Zen Study 6, at some point in his career using ink on paper. Those winding lines! They look like thoughts trying to find a way out, or maybe a dance, hesitant but full of energy. I can see Marden with his brush, letting the ink flow, almost like automatic writing, trying to catch something elusive. It reminds me a little of Cy Twombly, but with a calmer pulse. There’s a real sense of searching, of trying to find a balance between control and letting go. What does Zen mean in the process of mark making? Is it a way to get out of your own way, or is it an intensification of focus? You can see him thinking and feeling through the ink, the process leaving a trace. That little flick of the wrist there, did you see that? That's where the magic happens. It’s almost like he’s winking at us, sharing a secret about how paintings come into being. And in a way we are all just sharing and exchanging ideas, riffing off each other through time, with paint as our instrument.