Yellow Line Painting 1973

Ronnie Landfield painted "Yellow Line Painting" with, well, lines of paint against a yellow background, and it really gets me thinking about process. The lines aren't perfect. Some are thick, some thin, and they're all different colors—green, purple, even peach. It's like he was playing, seeing what each line could do, how it could sit next to the others. I'm drawn to one particular green line, it's got this little wobble in it, like a happy accident. You can almost see the artist's hand moving, the slight tremor or change in pressure that made it unique. It reminds me of some of Joan Mitchell's more playful works, that same sense of freedom and experimentation. And isn't that what art is all about? Not getting it "right", but seeing where the process takes you.