(39 x 39 cm) acrylic on box frame wooden canvas  
by Eldest Sonshine, age 16
 
This is the first painting by our Maximus at the age of 16!
And what a fantastic piece it is!
 
He called it 'Friend' which brought a tear to my eye. I can well imagine that for Max the process of painting is like having a deep conversation with a dear friend.
 
It's a prime example of Max's current painting style, with the overall tone being his beloved red but throughout the image there are layers of every other colour in the rainbow - did you know he's gone back to painting the sequence of the rainbow again? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink, often ending with white or gold.
 
Many of Max's paintings are very richly and thickly textured but for this one the penultimate action - before the layer of white icing - he chose to scrape down. It's always magical watching that part as you can see the delight in his face as he reveals the layers of colours beneath blending and marbling with the top layers. 
 
I wanted to have this piece up on the wall the moment it was dry and the days since then I've been gazing into it as I would a fire pit; the depth in the layers of colour make it seem to shift and wave.