Golden Eagle c. 1941

Clarence W. Dawson created this watercolor and graphite drawing on paper of a golden eagle, but we don't know exactly when. The eagle dominates the composition with its wings spread wide, perched atop a sphere. I’m thinking about Dawson here, alone in the studio, pencil in hand, figuring out how to capture the essence of this noble bird. It's easy to feel like you’re never quite getting there, never fully capturing what you intended. The textures Dawson creates are incredible – the meticulous layering in the eagle’s feathers, the smooth gradients on the sphere, and the soft, almost fuzzy quality of the background. It makes me think about surfaces and how they interact with light and shadow. Dawson's work speaks to a lineage of artists fascinated by the natural world. Artists, even now, are constantly in dialogue with the past, borrowing, reinterpreting, and pushing the boundaries of what art can be. We’re all just trying to add our voice to this endless, beautiful conversation.