Untitled 1999

Phil Sims made this Untitled work with paint, and it's like diving into a pool of deep, dark chocolate. You can almost smell the cocoa! The surface is built up with layers, not smooth at all, which gives it a real tactile quality. Look closely, and you’ll see the strokes, each one a little decision, a movement of the hand. There's one area, top left, where a tiny fleck of blue peeps through. It's like a secret, a hint of something more hidden beneath the brown. It reminds me of Rothko's color fields, but Sims is rougher, more physical. Art's not about answers, it's about questions. It's about looking and feeling, and letting the work spark something in you. It's a conversation, an ongoing exchange between the artist, the painting, and you.