This is really interesting, Mike. I agree with you, the tightly cropped version is very strong. In it, I really like the way the backgound reads as well as your painterly approach. A lot of potential, I imagine, working with these materials.
I wonder though, how truly archival this is. Wouldn't the paper deteriorate over time, even if it is mounted on archival board? Just a thought, I really have no idea. Around the image I think I see a dark halo around what you've painted. Is that the paper sucking the oil(s) out of the paint? Actually, it's an effect of this work I
really like. But will the oil continue to spread? Or, to re-phrase the question: will your work on mango paper continue to "suck"
?
Seriously, I would love to see more. I'm intrigued.