The Cowgirl 1956

Zoe Mozert imagined this Cowgirl in bright pastel hues. She probably built it up bit by bit, shifting and changing the image through trial, error, and intuition, maybe over a light sketch, deciding what details to keep, and what to leave out, until the work felt right. I feel such sympathy with the artist in the process of making. What must she have been thinking, putting down those baby blues and pinks? Look at the soft texture, the way the paint gives form to the figure, and how the lasso is rendered. The sky is particularly interesting. See how the cool blues at the top bleed into pale yellow and mauve, like the first light of the day? Painting is a conversation and an exchange of ideas across time. Artists inspire each other. Zoe inspired me to think about all the ways painting offers different ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world. I wonder who inspired Zoe?