Brush.
Gentle, careful.
Loving application. Circle of paint.
Brush circles, thumb circles.
Fingertips on skin.
Soft. Controlled pressure. Work inside, outside.
Canvas and flesh.
Diagonal. Smooth clean strokes. Contour, angled cheek followed down, down. Jawline. Curve.
(Steady, brushing. Brushwork.)
Studied.
Unstudied blush. Color.
Reds, primary, primal vibrancy. Rouge to flushed, throaty orange.
Pale rose, crimson drifting against violet. Blues, lavender. Tint. Hue of smoky sighs.
Ghost colors.
Life colors. Aquamarine. Jet blue, ink.
Jewels taking lavish form.
Purple, cerulean, peach. Palette, oils, perfume.
Mix. Solvent, paint. Knuckles, nails.
Tones. Breath.
Motif.
Heartbeat.
Saturation.
Contrast. Line.
Chiaroscuro in hair, charcoal, skin, canvas, graphite. Black, pale. Play of light.
Play of hands.
Kneaded gum, massage.
Erasure. Old line, new line.
Conjunction. Overlap, heavy texture. Lines together and apart, layer upon layer upon
(Steady work. Gentle, brushing. Heavy.)
Blending. Constant. Blending, smooth, soft.
Smooth arc into soft curve. Arch.
Pencil, lips. Lines along the edge.
Stark outlines.
Dark shadows and pastels.
Grey on the borderlines. Shades of proper form.
Greyscale, elegant parody of black and white.
Hidden in plain sight. A look. Desire.
Brush.
.
Shall we continue?
Add veneer, polish, finish what was raw? A masterly final stroke, as so many have received from your artist's hands?
How careful you are each time to end that which you began.
Framed, galleried. A memory in oils. Nothing more.
An artist's tools are the extensions of his soul –
How exquisitely believable.
.
(Negative space.
I feel it.
You fill it.)