Purple Sunrise 1996

Eyvind Earle made this painting, Purple Sunrise, with what looks like many layers of smooth, luminous paint. It's so controlled, with a limited palette, that it feels like a kind of dream. Look closely, and you’ll see how the light emerges from within the trees. It’s not just shining on them. Earle captures this sensation through thin layers of color, building depth and luminosity, that kinda reminds me of Rothko, actually. It's like he’s pulling light out from the depths of the forest. There is something about the surface that is not laboured or overworked, but it feels very calm and restful. This makes me think of Agnes Martin, who was similarly interested in the sublime, and often used landscape as a starting point for her work. Like Martin, Earle seems less interested in representing a specific place or thing, and more interested in capturing a feeling, an atmosphere, a mood.