Test of Fire 1940

Conroy Maddox made "Test of Fire" with paint on what looks like either board or paper. I can imagine him moving the paint around intuitively, pushing and pulling the colours into being. The shapes are cartoonish and vaguely figurative, like flags, flames and standing stones. There's one that reminds me a bit of a dunce's hat! The colour palette is muted and slightly psychedelic, making me wonder what it was like to be Maddox making this painting, caught between humour and melancholy. I like to imagine that there was no real plan here, but more of a willingness to explore and embrace ambiguity. Ultimately, what makes this piece sing for me is its openness. Maddox invites us into a world that feels both familiar and strange. It's a reminder that painting can be a form of embodied expression, where meaning emerges through the act of creation itself.