Riso: The Soul's Smile in Deep Blue Depths

Riso (48"x48")

The canvas lay before me, an expanse of silence, waiting to receive the echoes of my mind. When I first approached it, I felt a pull towards the cool, deep tones that whisper of vast spaces – the ocean, the sky at twilight, the shadowed valleys of my own thoughts. I wasn't trying to capture a scene, but rather a sensation, a feeling of being enveloped and carried.

My brush first dipped into the lighter blues, letting them spread and swirl, almost like gentle currents or the first breath of a new idea. As I blended these soft, ethereal hues, I felt a lightness, a sense of quiet wonder. These weren't just colors; they were moments of calm, of serene introspection, allowing my mind to wander freely, unburdened.

Then came the deeper blues, the more intense passages that anchor the lighter drifts. When I introduced the richer, almost indigo strokes, especially that profound, almost rectangular form near the bottom, I wasn't just adding pigment. I was delving into the core of feeling, that profound well of emotion that exists beneath the surface. It felt like drawing a breath, a deep, resonant hum that holds both gravity and a strange, comforting presence. It’s a point of stillness, a quiet intensity amidst the flowing movement.

The way the lighter shades weave through the darker ones, like tendrils of foam or clouds stretching across a vast sky, was a dance for me. I allowed the paint to flow, to resist, to blend, to streak, mimicking the unpredictable yet harmonious rhythms of life. Each sweeping curve, each delicate ripple, was a gesture of letting go, of embracing the unpredictable journey of creativity. I wasn't dictating every turn; I was collaborating with the paint, letting it guide me to discover what lay within.

And then there is "Riso." Many might look at the blues and the fluidity and see something tranquil, perhaps even melancholic, but for me, "Riso" is the profound joy that exists within that vastness. It's not a boisterous, outward laugh, but the quiet, deeply felt warmth that blooms in the heart when one finds a moment of peace, of understanding, of connection to something larger than oneself. When I painted these flowing lines, I was thinking of the gentle, liberating current of a smile, the way a quiet inner joy can ripple outwards, softening the edges of the world. "Riso" is that subtle, enduring happiness that often hides within moments of calm contemplation, a secret, buoyant force that lifts the spirit from within the deepest blue. It’s the whisper of delight in the silent expanse, the gentle surge of lightness in the profound depths. It’s the feeling of my soul smiling.