Bogliasco Watercolors 2005

Melissa Meyer made this *Bogliasco Watercolor* and what strikes me is the pure joy of process, the colors bleeding and mingling like a party in your mouth. The material itself, watercolor, is so fluid and alive. You can almost feel the water moving, carrying the pigment across the page. It’s thin, transparent, allowing light to bounce through and create this luminous effect, like stained glass, but messier! Look at the dark looping gestures, they remind me of calligraphy, or musical notation. They dance across the surface, connecting different areas of color, creating a sense of rhythm and movement. Meyer's work reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell, especially the way she uses color to create a sense of atmosphere and depth. But Meyer has her own distinct voice, a playfulness and a lightness that is all her own. Art isn't about answers, it's about the conversation.