Enamel on Wood: Blue Green 1989

Marcia Hafif’s "Enamel on Wood: Blue Green" is, well, exactly that – enamel on wood. The painting's surface is smooth, almost reflective, but with a slight texture. It’s not brushy in the traditional sense, but there are subtle variations that suggest a handmade quality. A kind of industrial perfection, achieved by a human hand. You can see this particularly around the edges. Hafif's choice of enamel gives the color an unusual depth, a kind of synthetic naturalness, like a swimming pool or a sea reflecting a cloudy sky. I feel like Agnes Martin might be a good comparison, in the way that Hafif has reduced painting to its most elemental components: color, surface, and support. Both invite contemplation, but where Martin's work is ethereal, Hafif's is grounded, solid. It's a reminder that even the simplest things can be rich with meaning, if we take the time to really see them.