Pine Tree 1987

Eyvind Earle made this drawing of a pine tree, we don't know when, but look at the way the tree's being built up from tiny marks, like it's growing right in front of us! Now, let’s zoom in on that dark patch of the trunk. See how it's almost pure black, a dense field of tiny dots? That's where Earle builds up a real weight, anchoring the whole image. And then, your eye travels up to the delicate needles, which are almost like snowflakes or tiny stars, like the dark is exploding into light! This contrast is key to how the work is structured. There’s a way Earle uses line and texture that puts me in mind of someone like Agnes Martin, even though they’re working in completely different ways. There’s something about the obsessive mark-making that speaks to a very particular kind of artist sensibility, one that values process over product, and that understands art as a form of meditation. In the end, each viewer makes their own meaning.