Recens: The Vibrant, Messy Truth

Recens (33"x43")

I remember the hum of the brush against the canvas, a quiet whisper before the storm of color. When I laid down that first broad sweep of yellow, I wasn't thinking of sunshine, but of an expansive, unrestrained joy, a feeling of awakening that poured from me. Then, the blues began to creep in, not as sadness, but as the cool, clear air after a long breath, a space for thought amidst the warmth.

I trace these lines, sometimes with a decisive dark stroke, sometimes with a hesitant, almost fragile one. Each line is a decision, a path I explored, an attempt to give form to the formless churning inside me. The dark, bold shapes that began to emerge, particularly that central, almost glowing form, felt like a memory taking shape, or perhaps a future yet to fully reveal itself. I wrestled with it, pushing and pulling, adding layers of peach and muted grey, wanting it to feel both solid and ethereal.

The title, "Recens," came to me during one of those moments when the painting started to speak back. It means "fresh," "recent," "new." For me, it encapsulates that raw, unburdened energy of a new beginning, not just in the strokes you see here, but in my own life and artistic journey. It’s the feeling of something just birthed, still wet with possibility, not yet hardened by expectation. Every time I looked at the emerging work, I felt that crisp, immediate sense of *now*. This isn't about perfectly formed ideas, but about the vibrant, sometimes messy, truth of a moment freshly perceived.

I remember mixing that soft, almost blushing pink, and feeling a surge of tenderness for this evolving world on my canvas. It mingled with the vibrant yellows and oranges, creating a landscape that felt like dawn breaking over a hidden valley within me. The challenge was to keep that freshness, that spontaneous energy, without letting it dissolve into chaos. Each decision, each overlay of paint, was an act of faith, trusting that the nascent feeling would find its voice. And when I stepped back, and saw "Recens" looking back at me, I felt a quiet thrill—a new story, just beginning to unfold.