Cattle Brand c. 1936

J. Henry Marley made this drawing, Cattle Brand, in black ink on paper. It’s a direct, graphic piece, all about bold lines and the space they create. Look at how the ink sits right on the surface. There's no shading, no fuss, just these clear, confident strokes that form a unique symbol. The lines are consistent, creating a balanced tension between the shapes, it’s like watching the artist work out the puzzle of identity, one careful stroke at a time. That arrow cutting through the semi-circle, it's so precise. It makes me think of how artists like Agnes Martin used geometry to find a kind of spiritual order. But here, it’s less about perfection and more about… staking a claim. It reminds you that art, like branding, is about making your mark. It's like saying, "I was here."