Noir Strawberries in Threes 

Milt Kobayashi’s painting, Noir Strawberries in Threes, is rendered in oil on canvas. The artist has used confident brushwork to capture a world of layered implications. Oil paint, in this instance, serves as a remarkably fluid medium. Kobayashi layers thin washes of color, allowing them to drip and blend, while also applying thicker, impasto strokes. The combination gives the painting a rich, tactile surface. The artist seems to revel in the materiality of the paint itself. The rough canvas texture is also allowed to show through, further emphasizing the physical presence of the artwork. Oil painting has a long and storied history as a fine art tradition, prized for its versatility and capacity for rendering depth and luminosity. But here, Kobayashi uses the medium in a more expressive way, focusing on the raw qualities of the paint. This approach democratizes the process, inviting viewers to appreciate the sensuous qualities of the material. Ultimately, paintings like this remind us that the most compelling art often arises from a deep engagement with the materials and processes of its making.