Lady G., lb., Fly Away Home 1970

Bea Nettles made this image, "Lady G., lb., Fly Away Home" using photographic and drawing media. The subdued palette and layered imagery give it a ghostly feel. It feels very intuitive, like something she arrived at through experimentation. The surface is softly mottled. Some of the marks seem like stains, as if the image is aging before our eyes. It makes me think about old photographs of my family. Look at how the central face seems to emerge from the ground. It's a lovely drawing, softly rendered with an emphasis on light and shadow. Then above, almost floating, are the pale insects, like memories, or dreams of flight. Nettles is part of a generation of artists who brought a really playful, experimental approach to photography, pushing the medium in all sorts of exciting directions. Like the work of Robert Heinecken. But it's her combination of photography with a subtle approach to drawing that I find really interesting. It reminds me to trust the process, and let the image emerge.