Matrix in yellow and umber

The past is another country
           the under-painting obliterated
for better or worse
           I have moved on
and with the application
           of simple colours
I have created a matrix
           of sorts
large patches of cadmium yellow
           smaller patches of raw umber
on a background of thinly applied
           cadmium red diluted with liquin

I love the haphazard nature
           of moving paint
with a palette knife
           so capturing the moment
life as it is breathed
           and the motions quick
and almost automatic
           so that the hand obeys
the eye
           rather than the brain
these paintings may
           mean nothing
to the spectator
           but to me they are
distillations of my life
           and represent
at the same time
           fragments of discovery
of who I am
           of what my purpose is
and what constitutes love
           and very much more

John Lyons