Florida 2021

Richard Ross made this image, Florida, sometime during his lifetime using photography. It’s like a moment stopped in time, you know? I see a lot of pink in the image, a wall that makes the space feel intimate. There is a pink phone in the image too, in her left hand, that echoes the wall. The artist has captured a certain light and stillness, hasn’t he? I find myself wondering, what were they thinking when they agreed to pose? Did they have any idea this picture would end up here, wherever ‘here’ is? And what does it mean to call a photo ‘Florida’ anyway? I wonder if it is a conversation with other painters, with their brushstrokes and compositions? Maybe, like them, Richard Ross is just trying to figure out how to capture a feeling, a place, a moment. Artists are always talking to each other, borrowing ideas, and messing with them to see what happens. Each artwork is part of this long, ongoing conversation. It’s not about having all the answers, but about asking the right questions and being open to the unexpected.