This painting is exactly what the title says. It is a moody abstraction comprised of many layers. In fact, it used to be a completely different painting that I thought was finished, stretched, and gave this title. The more I looked at it the more I felt it wasn't quite right and meanwhile I was developing a new style that is showcased in pieces like "Its Existence was Never Called Into Question" and "More than I Love Any Physical Bean." The underpainting was truly an earnest attempt to create meaning, and it felt like it fell flat, and so this final form of the painting is an even more earnest attempt to really get something real up there on the canvas.
It feels a little scary and vulnerable to pull all the old tricks out of the composition. No doodles, no pours. The color is more subtle. The result is not as flashy as some of my older work. It feels lived in, and complex, and a little bit heavy, but a little bit light at the same time. It feels like I'm pushing further into abstraction than I ever have before, and I'm proud to say that it feels earned.
"Earnestly Attempting to Create meaning from Something Meaningless" is a dense, gestural painting built up from overlapping brushstrokes. The composition fades from a cerulean blue to a pale yellow in the upper right and sandy yellow ochre in the bottom right. Darker mixed blacks and grey dance across the surface in calligraphic strokes that loop and hook. Pops of color show through in places where paint has been scraped away to reveal more colorful layers underneath.
