Colour is my boyfriend

I love colour! But for me, colour is like that boyfriend with whom you keep breaking up and then getting back together. Why do we break up? Sometimes, because other people say we should, “M.A., you could sell more work, if it was more…subtle…” or “Do you really need to use every colour, every time?” Sometimes, because the light or season changes, and bright colour seems too harsh. Sometimes, because I want to do something different, just for the sake of change. Pretty much all the various reasons you break up with anyone, but luckily colour is that steady kind of boyfriend who sticks around.

Right now, I’m back together with bright colour, and I’m playing with coloured resin. I love its transparency, its vibrant colour and the fact I can’t predict how it will turn out. It’s tough to manipulate resin, I pour out a lovely swirling pattern and next thing I know, it’s a blotchy puddle. Or I try to mix my tints and come up with a strange snot-coloured green instead of the bright lime I was aiming for. And when I’m in this colour mood, I do want to use ALL the colours ALL the time. These smaller paintings were all done in the past two weeks, but I am in the final stages of completing seven new large paintings. They are just getting to the exciting phase, where I have completed a lot of layers and I’m getting ready to rip them back and see what’s beneath. And since I’m in a colourful phase right now, that will definitely influence the final product.

I’m really excited, and right now it looks like my boyfriend, Colour, will be sticking around for a while…