Cosmic Star Twins #2 2009

Jack Armstrong made this painting, Cosmic Star Twins #2, using acrylic on canvas. The painting is made up of splatters, scribbles and drizzles of paint in bright, bold colors. Looking at this surface, I can really feel the energy of the artist's process. The colors are layered and mixed, creating a wild and chaotic surface, but with a lot of joy! I am really drawn to the lower right corner where there is a big red circle with a smaller red splodge inside it, creating a kind of target or an eye, a playful element that hints at bigger symbolic meanings. It reminds me a little of the cosmic explorations of someone like Hilma af Klint, but also of the playful spirit of graffiti art. The way the different elements come together feels like an ongoing conversation, with each mark responding to the ones that came before, until the whole thing comes alive.