Springtime Rapture 2017

Jana Brike made this painting, "Springtime Rapture," using what looks like thin layers of oil paint. It's all about how she built up the image, layer by layer, a real process. The texture isn't about thick globs of paint, but more about the way she creates depth with color. The pinks and greens feel almost translucent. Look at the way the light filters through the cherry blossoms. You can almost feel the petals falling. I especially love the way she’s painted the petals on the ground, little touches of pink which bring your eye down to the figure, lost in reverie. It's like looking at a Pre-Raphaelite painting, all dreamy and romantic. It reminds you that art is a conversation across time, with each artist building on the ideas of those who came before. Ultimately it's about creating a mood more than depicting something realistically. It embraces the beauty of ambiguity, doesn't it?