Wishful Thoughts No 2
By Julia Contacessi, 2010
Soft and dreamy, this abstract painting feels like a quiet morning where the light is just starting to spread. Julia Contacessi fills the canvas with gentle washes of cream, pink, and pale blue, then adds bold strokes of orange and golden yellow near the center. These warm shapes seem to float, almost like a sunlit cloud caught in the middle of all that softness. A few thin lines wander across the surface, adding a sense of movement without breaking the calm.
Contacessi is a contemporary American artist known for work that leans into emotion and atmosphere rather than clear images. The title, "Wishful Thoughts No 2," gives a hint about what she might have been after here. Rather than showing us a specific place or object, she invites us to feel something open and hopeful, the way a daydream drifts in and out of focus. It is the kind of painting that rewards a slow look, letting your eyes rest and wander wherever the colors lead.