Beppe 2010

Stephen Mueller's "Beppe" is a symphony of colour and form. It's like Mueller dipped his brush in pure joy, layering hues with a breezy confidence. There’s something about the way the colours float and interact that feels deeply intuitive. The shapes, kind of like playful, weightless forms dancing in the air. Look at that floating, elongated oval, morphing from light blue into indigo. It anchors the whole composition, giving it a grounding, like a key change in a song. You get the sense that Mueller wasn’t afraid to let the painting lead the way, embracing chance and spontaneity. This reminds me a little of Elizabeth Murray’s off-kilter structures and playful geometry, both artists make paintings that refuse to sit still, embracing the messy, joyful possibilities of the medium. It's a celebration of artmaking as a process.