Cosmic Goddess 2007

Jack Armstrong made this painting called Cosmic Goddess with paint on canvas. There is an overall textural feel with lots of individual marks that combine to form an impression of something, like a fire, or a flower, or something else. I'm fascinated by the way Armstrong lays down the paint, one gesture at a time. Take a close look at the swirls of red and gold - they seem to pulse with energy, don't they? You can see how he's built up layers of color, letting them mingle and bleed into each other. It's like watching a dance, each stroke a step in a carefully choreographed routine. And then there are those white lines cutting through the composition. Armstrong's painting reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint, another artist who explored cosmic themes through abstraction. But while Klint's work is more geometric and orderly, Armstrong's feels wilder, more untamed. It's a reminder that art isn't about finding the right answer, but about embracing the questions.