Arctic

Creative Rationale

Over the Arctic Ocean northeast of Baffin Island, where sea ice meets dark waters under pale northern light, the high pressure system creates an open, luminous atmosphere despite the bitter cold. The strong temperature anomaly and high humidity suggest a collision of air masses, which I interpret through clusters of steely blues and winter whites punctuated by surprising warm passages, as Mitchell might have painted memory of sudden Arctic light breaking through storm clouds. The moderate wind from the west drives elongated gestural marks across the composition, while the high pressure allows breathing room between color masses against a pale, glowing ground.