The tree on Adriatic Coast and Velebit Mnt. (24th July 2014) 2014

This is Alfred Freddy Krupa's "The tree on Adriatic Coast and Velebit Mnt. (24th July 2014)," made in watercolor, and the way the pigment pools and scatters feels so right. It's like watching the weather change in real-time – you know, how watercolor does that magic trick of being both controlled and totally wild. I think a lot about the physical stuff of painting. Here, it's like the paper is breathing, soaking up the color and spitting it back out with its own little quirks. Look at the way he's built up that tree. The layers of washes, how they bleed into each other, that's the real story. It’s not about getting the tree exactly right, it’s about the feeling of the tree, and the air around it. It’s like the tree is almost disappearing, like a memory. This reminds me of Agnes Martin. The way she used to make these grids that were barely there. It’s like Krupa is saying, "Hey, let's not get too hung up on what things are supposed to look like. Let’s just feel it out, you know?"