Sam Francis (1923-1994)

‘ Colour is light on fire, each colour is the result of burning, for each substance burns with a particular colour. The processes talked about in alchemy are parallel to the processes in painting. For that reason I am fascinated with alchemy. But my work is not just my painting -- it is something else. Painting holds me in check, so to speak, or keeps me from flying off in other directions. It is a way of being anchored in the world.’
– Sam Francis