Green Goddess 2021

Allison Reimold's "Green Goddess" is a contemporary painting, probably oil, that gives the impression of immense care and attention to detail in its making. I get a strong feeling of meticulousness from the image - the paint handling is so smooth and controlled. The gradations of tone around the eyes and the subtle shadows on the neck are built up with many layers. It's like she's slowly coaxing this vision out of the medium. The painting invites contemplation on the materiality of the pigment. Look at the folds of leaves framing her face; you can almost feel the weight and texture of the paint. The colour is almost exclusively green, but there's so much variation in tone that the whole piece feels alive. It reminds me a little of the pre-Raphaelites, but without all the melodrama, and I like that. For me, art is always a conversation, and there's no right or wrong answer, only new ways of seeing.