I’m exploring how minimal I can go (as in, how much I can stand!) by working on multiple versions of various starts and pieces. I can see, out in the art world, which artists I think have gone too far — I can’t do just a plain square of color — and which are just right. Mark Rothko always comes first to mind, but there are so many others.

It’s been a long process, over several years now. I think a current piece has potential, I make some changes, then set it aside, then pick it up again later to make another pass. You might do something similar with painting on canvas, say, but instead, these are just files on my computer, with past versions. This is the way I build any series, but the minimal direction is new for me, coming on the heels of a push to abstraction.

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Here’s a take on what isn’t enough, for me: straight textural builds. This one, as an example, is 10 layers — of paint and printmaking and colors. I love it, I use it as a layer happily, but it’s not enough on its own.

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Here’s a piece that isn’t making the cut — there’s too much going on. While I’ve added layers to obscure some of the busy parts, there’s still more here than I can call minimal, by any definition. Is it interesting? Yeah, there’s something good in there. It just doesn’t belong with the calmer pieces.

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And so it goes with each piece. I add to the simpler ones, take away or obscure on the busy ones, and nominate pieces for membership in the minimal series club, removing them if they don’t fit with their buddies. I’m using a fun app to evaluate this series: Milanote. I keep latest versions of these and other candidates, and move them around as they go in & out of favor. The page is useful to share on a video call, as well as with you!

Here’s a selection, a snapshot from the app, that I think is at a good stopping point. This time, I tried for more alignment in values — they tend to the lighter side — and removed a bit more detail, especially when it was too dark. It feels like these pieces have a bit in common, and are a little less busy than previous versions.

I don’t know if these are minimal enough, but I also don’t know if I can pull anything else out. Time for them to have a rest — like putting the canvases away, against the wall — and for my eyes to have a break from them, before I pull them out for a fresh look.