This story was born from a visit I made to the Norton Simon Museum in Los Angeles, where I spent a long time standing in front of a monumental canvas (Adriatic, 1968) by Helen Frankenthaler. Like many of her paintings, the effect was nearly overwhelming, creating sensations that seemed to ripple across all five senses. In the weeks following that trip, I wrote the first draft of a story I was initially calling “Turpentine,” after the chemical-heavy technique that the artist was known for using in some of her more ambitious canvases. Fast forward to today, where a later draft of the story retitled “Frankenthaler’s Blue” has been published at Five South. Enjoy!
