Emerald Snow 2019

Soey Milk made this painting, Emerald Snow, layering colours that shift between representation and abstraction. The colour palette, dominated by greens and browns, but also with touches of red and white, allows you to dive into a lush interior. Milk uses thin layers of paint, applied with a delicate touch. The texture isn’t about thick impasto but is smooth, allowing the colours to blend and create subtle gradations. Look at the way she renders the figure's skin: you can see how she uses thin, translucent glazes to create depth and luminosity. Then check out the mark-making in the background. The leaves are simplified into angular shapes, like a collage. Milk's painting reminds me of artists like Gustav Klimt, who also blended figuration and pattern-making. Just as in Klimt, there is a sense of opulence and decadence, but also a sensitivity to the power of line and form. Ultimately, paintings such as these are never resolved; they exist in a state of becoming, inviting viewers to participate in their ongoing evolution.