ST-G70-033 1970

Sam Francis made this untitled painting with watercolor in 1970, and right away, I get a sense of freedom in its gesture, the way he lets the paint drip and bleed. It’s like he’s inviting chance into the process, which is what I try to do in my own work. The way the colors pool and spread, creating these luminous edges, it’s like he’s not trying to control the medium, but rather collaborate with it. Look at how the blues melt into the white of the paper on the right edge. The texture isn't built-up, but there is an incredible sense of depth and layering. It's all about the flow, the liquidity of the paint. The way he orchestrates these splashes of color around an open, blank center, reminds me a bit of Matisse's cut-outs, this idea of creating form through absence, letting the negative space speak. It is this ongoing dialogue between intention and accident, presence and absence, that makes the painting so alive.