Franklin, New Hampshire 1940

Donald Greason made this work in 1940, called Franklin, New Hampshire, using ink and watercolor. Look at the swift, confident strokes that define the buildings and cascade of water. It’s like he’s sketching not just what he sees, but also the feeling of being there. The colors are muted—mostly grays and creams—but the way Greason uses the ink gives it a real punch. The buildings aren't perfectly defined, but more gestured towards, as if they are emerging from the landscape. See that dark, almost scribbled area at the bottom? It anchors the whole composition. It’s balanced, but also kind of teetering on the edge, like a memory. Greason reminds me a bit of Charles Burchfield, who also found poetry in the everyday. But where Burchfield's work is almost hallucinatory, Greason's is more grounded, more about the immediate experience of place. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfect representation. It's about how we see and feel the world, one brushstroke at a time.