Star Paths 2007

Jack Armstrong made Star Paths using, I assume, paint on canvas. The way the colors crash into each other, forming this wild, scribbled chaos, feels like looking into someone's mind. Up close, you can see how the paint is applied – not smooth or blended, but raw, almost violent. Scrawled across the surface are words and fragments of thoughts, like graffiti. It's as if the painting is trying to capture the speed and fragmentation of modern life. Look at the way he uses these scribbled words as an element of the painting, like the word 'laughter' scrawled near the bottom - it's not just about the word itself, but the energy of the mark, the way it interacts with the other colours and shapes around it. This reminds me of Cy Twombly, though Armstrong cranks up the volume, pushing the messiness to an extreme. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always need to be neat and tidy; it can be a beautiful, chaotic, and deeply personal expression.