Contemporary Abstract Expressionism I Petals on the Water

This painting is joyful and romantic, built around a bold diagonal band of colour that sweeps from the upper left corner down toward the lower right, like a garland of flowers or a drift of petals carried on the wind. The background is soft and dreamy: blush pink, lilac, and pale cream blended together, lighter toward the right edge and warmer toward the bottom left, with a hint of peach. Inside the diagonal band, the colour is vivid and dense. Hot pink and magenta flare out in loose, flower-like shapes, with deep crimson and burgundy at their hearts. Bright lemon yellow appears in several patches, near the top centre, on the left, and on the right, like sunlight or yellow blooms. Clear sky blue runs beneath and between them, especially along the lower edge of the band, with touches of white like reflections or petals on water. Thin drips of pink and burgundy run down from the colour toward the bottom of the canvas, especially on the left, which adds a soft, rainy movement. The paint is laid on with brush and palette knife, thick in the flowers and thinner in the background, so the colour seems to float on a misty surface. It reads as a bouquet spilling across the canvas, a flower market reflected in a canal, or spring blossom falling onto water.