This piece is about weight and cut. Not literal violence, but the feeling when something decisive happens — a moment that splits what came before from what comes after. The red block isn’t hiding. It sits forward in the composition, unapologetic. I wanted to capture that feeling of a decision made, the kind you can’t walk back. The pink wash behind it softens things, keeps the red from feeling aggressive. There’s tension, but also balance.
Layering & Texture
I worked this piece in passes. First, a loose wash of diluted acrylic across the heavyweight paper — just enough to kill the white without sealing the surface. Then the red block, applied thick with a palette knife. While it was still wet, I dragged a credit card through parts of it, pulling paint away to reveal the pink underneath. The yellow zigzag marks came last, scratched in with the back end of a brush handle. This acrylic layering technique lets each layer speak without drowning the others. You can see where the paper tooth grabbed the paint differently than canvas would. That’s the thing about mixed media abstract on paper — it holds marks in a way that feels more immediate, less polished.
Scale & the Body
Working large on heavyweight paper means you can’t be timid. The surface doesn’t forgive hesitation the way canvas might. I had to commit to each mark, stand back, move around the piece as it dried on the floor. The size changed how I approached the red block — I couldn’t paint it in one go. I worked it in sections, letting edges dry before meeting them with fresh paint. That’s why you see slight variations in the red density.
Speed & Rhythm
The yellow marks are the fastest thing in this piece. I made them in one pass, no second-guessing. They cut across the slower, more deliberate red block like a counterpoint. Some of the blue-gray curves at the bottom were painted wet-into-wet, which means they spread on their own. I had to watch and wait, not control. That’s the rhythm I’m after — fast marks against slow decisions, control against surrender. When you live with a piece like this, you notice different things at different times. Some days the red dominates. Other days, those yellow scratches pull your eye first. Read about the artists perspective.
Context
Butcher Knife belongs to my Paper series, where I’m exploring what heavyweight paper can do that canvas won’t. These pieces are more immediate, less forgiving. They dry faster, which means decisions stick. I’m drawn to that constraint. It keeps me honest. This series is about finding confidence in surfaces that don’t let you hide. If you’re looking for similar work, browse the full Paper collection or read more about my approach to Butcher Knife.
