Small Yellow: January 1973 1973

Patrick Heron made "Small Yellow: January 1973" with, well, I don't know exactly what, but imagine the silkscreen squeegee pushing ink through a screen, and that's how this baby came to be. It’s pure sensation. There's this fiery red cascading into ochre and dissolving into light yellow; it's like the sun setting in your mind. I can imagine Heron, back then, in the dead of winter, needing to conjure up the summer! The edges of the shapes have this beautiful push and pull, like things merging or arguing, coming together and drifting apart. It makes me think about Matisse's cut-outs, but also something more raw and immediate. Each colour seems to vibrate and hum. The shapes are like memories or feelings, half-formed, still in the process of becoming, just like us! Heron’s work is always a reminder to me that painting isn't just about making something to look at, it’s about feeling something real.