Jurassic Tide 1962

Lee Gatch made "Jurassic Tide" with paint on canvas, and I find myself drawn to how the colors almost seem to emerge from the weave of the canvas. It's like he’s coaxing them into existence, a real process. The textures are so key here – you can almost feel the roughness of the paint, the way it's built up in layers. There's this one spot, near the bottom, where the paint looks like cracked earth. You can see Gatch’s hand in every mark, like he’s digging into the surface, trying to unearth something ancient. The sandy grays and muted browns give it this prehistoric feel, like looking at fossils. I’m reminded of Milton Avery in the way Gatch simplifies form into shapes and blocks of color. Both artists understood that painting is all about color, space, and surface. With Gatch, it’s not about telling you what to see, but about inviting you to feel the mystery.