A Tree Full of Birds 2 1979

Victor Pasmore created this work through a beautiful push-and-pull of watery blues, contrasted against some stark, graphic shapes. I can imagine Pasmore in his studio, feeling his way around this composition, maybe starting with those big, blobby forms and then letting that central, cloud-like shape emerge almost by accident, through the happy mishaps of watercolor. It’s like he's asking, "What happens if I let the paint do its thing?" That central stain is fascinating, it’s got such depth and variation and makes me think of Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain paintings, where the color becomes one with the canvas. Then you have these bold, almost cartoonish shapes on the periphery, anchoring the composition and providing a playful structure, like a conversation between chance and intention. It’s all about making space for surprise, inviting the unexpected, and finding poetry in the process.