Still and the cosmos

Watercolor by Clyfford Still. (c) Clyfford Still Estate

Working at the newly opened Clyfford Still Museum has really had a profound effect on my understanding of the impact artists really can have on people, communities, and their understanding of life itself.  Right now we are inventorying all of Clyfford Still's works on paper; 95% of which have never been seen by the public.  Through the process I have realized just how intimate works on paper are. I feel as though I am truly getting to know Clyfford Still through his sketches, handwritten inscriptions, and stray marks. 


I found the watercolors posted here in a small photo album with other 2 x 4" / 3 x 5" scraps of paper. I found them incredibly beautiful in their simplicity and surprisingly powerful for such small works. The colors seem to hover on top of the paper and vibrate with an otherworldly sense of movement.

Mr. Still hoped that his works would connect his viewers with a sense of life and death and the infinite universe encompassing all things. These small works are so successful in that, that I almost feel outside of myself when exploring their quiet mystery. Its amazing how such genius can be found in a few dabs of color.

Watercolor by Clyfford Still. (c) Clyfford Still Estate