Red Study by James Edward Scherbarth

Thirty-six inches square, and all of it red. Almost.

Red Study is a painting in oil and cold wax on cradle board by James Edward Scherbarth (1949-2021). Painters mix cold wax into oil to thicken it, so that a surface can be built in layers and then scraped back to show what lies beneath. Here the red runs from a brighter glow near the top to a deeper tone below. Patches of dark ochre gather across the lower half, and fine scratches cross the upper edge. It measures 36 inches wide by 36 high.

It is called a study. It does not look as though it was practicing.