Challenges 2020

Jammie Holmes made this painting, "Challenges", with what looks like acrylic or maybe oil, and what gets me is the rawness of the application; like a sketch that's come to life. The paint's laid down flat, but there's nothing flat about it. Look at the way he's handled the horse's head, those strokes, some dark brown, some almost grey, they build up the form, but they also give it a sense of movement, like the horse is breathing, alive, right there on the canvas. Then there’s that electric blue, a slash of pure color for the rider's pants. It's like Holmes is saying, "Here, feel this tension, this energy." It reminds me of Bob Thompson, that same kind of bold, unafraid approach to color and form. It's not about perfection, it's about feeling, about capturing a moment, a mood, an energy, unresolved and always open.