You approach the canvas—it is still virgin white and untouched. What a decision to touch it with paint … The first delicate pink, then a hint of yellow, perhaps a fresh spring green. The colors begin to speak to each other, to resonate, delicate and subtle … It goes back and forth like this for a while, until the whiteness has disappeared and given way to a weave of color. Slowly, the picture begins to develop a will; it demands more red or orange or green or blue. Then comes the moment when the whole thing becomes too colorful—too colorful for me—and I intervene. I take a white or a very delicate gray-white and cover the entire colorfulness with a roller or a sponge roller … Only a hint of the colorfulness is left. — Thorough contemplation. — The decision comes (or is it an impulse?), a green line, across the top of the picture, loose, not too exact. A gold tone follows, almost like a sword. Who wants it that way—me or the picture? Above it, oh wonder, it wants to be dark—a deep, dark red. What a painful step to cover it with black. Contemplating it again and again, and then taking these steps, courageously, swiftly, without hesitation. Something is still missing, but what? A long question to the picture … Waiting until it speaks, answers … Another impulse—in the red darkness above, a bright red rose, daring and distinct. Yes, that’s right. Nothing more wants to be added; everything has been said …
Translation Laura Liska
Photo From Shaping Light, Laura Liska, 2025.
