New Painting

The artist is ready to step under the yellow barricade tape and enter the scene of the crime.

His credentials are in order--no preconceptions and an certificate of merit from the academy of autodidactic practitioners.

The case: both a murder and a resurrection, but with very few clues left behind.

Evidence is collected. There's evidence that there's been some tampering.

At some point in the investigation the question is asked: "what's wrong with it?" The question isn't asking what's wrong with the investigation, it's asking what's wrong with the painting.

Someone says that it looks to her as if the beauty is contained in the rectangles, and someone else says he sees the fire but he doesn't see the poem the artist says is being consumed by the fire.

The artist himself--the lead investigator--says that red isn't speaking to orange and orange isn't speaking to yellow, but they're all getting closer and closer to speaking to one another. And that the black line toward the top of the painting is the title of the poem, and the black lines slightly beneath it is the name of the poet.

Good, this is good, this is progress, slow but steady, toward the realization that the painting is coming forward from a place buried far underneath the surface, something that can't quite yet be seen. 

"Fire-Jottings", painting based on a poem by Tomas Transtromer, acrylic & oil, 22" x 28". Photo by author.