Contemporary Abstract Expressionism I Rising Flame

This painting is bold and expressive, made of large, sweeping strokes that curve and rise through the canvas like flames, petals, or fabric in motion. The left side is cool: sky blue, turquoise, and white swirl in broad arcs, with a darker area of navy and deep green tucked in near the upper left. These strokes curve inward, as if circling around the centre. Through the middle, warm colour takes over. A large, bright stroke of lemon and sunflower yellow curves upward from the bottom left, the strongest colour in the painting. Beside it, deep crimson and rust red run down through the centre from top to bottom, with dark navy and black at the top, and soft blush pink in between. The right side is light and airy: peach, pale pink, and white, with another patch of bright yellow and hints of mint green and soft grey lower down. A thin dark curve runs down through the right centre, separating the warm middle from the pale right edge. The paint is laid on thickly with a palette knife and brush in big, confident sweeps, with visible ridges and layered edges throughout. It reads as a bouquet of flowers bursting open, a flame rising between sea and sky, or a celebration of colour and movement.