Phenomena Approach
By Paul Jenkins
This watercolor piece showcases Paul Jenkins' signature approach to abstract expressionism, where he let fluid paint flow and pool across the canvas to create organic, almost geological formations. The brilliant yellow center draws your eye like molten gold, surrounded by halos of blue, brown, and soft purple that seem to bloom outward. Jenkins was known for pouring and tilting his canvases, letting gravity and the natural properties of paint do much of the work.
There's something almost cosmic about this composition, like watching a nebula form or witnessing the birth of a star through a telescope. The title "Phenomena Approach" suggests something powerful coming into view, and you can feel that sense of emergence in how the colors interact and blend. Jenkins spent time in Paris during the 1950s alongside other abstract expressionists, and his work bridges American gestural painting with a more lyrical, atmospheric sensibility that feels both spontaneous and contemplative.