Hand with Fir Cone 1921

Here, in black and white ink, is M.C. Escher’s ‘Hand with Fir Cone’. Look at how the lines build up in the hand and how its volume emerges from the dark background. I wonder if Escher felt like he was building something three-dimensional as he was drawing? Layering line upon line to create a form in space… I recognize that sensation when I am building up layers of paint, working towards a sense of depth or volume. The fir cone is fascinating, isn’t it? Held carefully in the hand like some precious object. It reminds me of the work of other artists who take patterns from nature, like the spirals of seashells, and arrange them in highly structured compositions. These types of forms seem to be everywhere once you start looking for them. I see painting as a kind of embodied expression, where the artist takes on the challenge of ambiguity and uncertainty, embracing multiple readings and meanings. It is a conversation across time.