Growing Up, 2025

Growing Up, 2025 by Murray Duncan

Mixed media on canvas

60 × 60 inches

Growing Up is a large-scale abstract work that explores quiet transformation, spatial awareness, and the subtle accumulation of time. Rendered in a restrained, softened green ground, the surface is built through layered brushwork and sparse graphite markings that feel both deliberate and provisional. The composition unfolds slowly, revealing elongated vertical forms, softened rectangles, and faint interruptions that suggest growth, pause, and recalibration. The painting balances structure and intuition. Linear elements anchor the composition while hand-drawn shapes drift and overlap, creating a gentle tension between control and openness. Areas of erasure and visible revision speak to process, reinforcing the work’s underlying theme of development through adjustment rather than resolution. Muted in palette yet expansive in scale, Growing Up functions as an architectural presence within a space. Its tonal subtlety allows it to integrate seamlessly into refined interiors, while its size and material depth give it authority and visual weight. The work invites prolonged viewing, rewarding attention with nuanced shifts in texture, line, and tone. Rooted in contemporary abstraction, Growing Up reflects Duncan’s ongoing interest in material restraint, spatial rhythm, and the emotional resonance of pared-back form — a painting that is both contemplative and quietly assured.