Moonlight, Maine 1972

Betty Parsons made this painting, Moonlight, Maine, and well, you can feel how direct it is. It's not about being slick, it's all about the doing. You can see her putting the paint down, those brushstrokes are so present. I love the way Parsons used colour. That gold against the deep blue makes my eyes vibrate, and that little pop of orange? Just enough to wake you up. The surface is alive with texture; it's not trying to hide anything. There's a directness that reminds me of Joan Mitchell, but where Mitchell is all about explosive energy, Parsons feels more contained, meditative almost. Look closely at the way the blue paint bleeds slightly into the gold around the edges. It's like she's letting the colours breathe, allowing the painting to find its own form. This piece feels connected to a wider conversation about landscape painting and abstraction. Like Arthur Dove, she's finding the abstract essence of a place, not just copying what she sees. Art isn't about answers; it's about the questions we ask and the spaces we create.