Variant III (from Bright Jade Ghost) 1963

Sam Francis made this lithograph, Variant III (from Bright Jade Ghost), and it's like a party on paper with all those colours and splatters. What strikes me first is how Francis lets the process show. The drips and splatters aren't hidden; they're part of the story. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s the mess, here’s the magic." Looking closer, you can see how the colours overlap, creating new shades and textures. The red bleeds into the blue, the yellow pops against the green—it’s a real conversation between the hues. And those splatters? They’re not just random; they create a sense of movement, of energy. It’s kind of like a jazz solo, improvisational and full of life. Check out that big blue form on the left, the way it seems to be raining colour. It’s both chaotic and controlled, like a storm cloud that's also kind of beautiful. Francis reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell, another painter who wasn’t afraid to get messy and emotional with colour. Both of them show us that art isn't about perfection, it’s about embracing the unexpected and finding beauty in the chaos.