Hooibaal 1867 - 1935

This is "Hooibaal," made by Maurits van der Valk using etching. Look at how the lines pile up to create these haystacks. Van der Valk used the etching needle to suggest forms through line and tone alone; the result feels textured, and full. It's like he's trying to capture every wisp of straw. I wonder what it was like for him, out there in the field, trying to capture the bigness of these stacks. It’s the kind of work that demands you slow down and pay attention to the world around you, finding the beauty in what's right in front of you. And he really does, right? This image is an invitation. It's about process, about the labor of looking, drawing, and of living. It's part of a conversation between artists about how we see, feel, and translate that into something new.