Country Carnival c. 1935

George Wiggins made this black and white print, Country Carnival, with lithographic crayon on stone, and I can just imagine him bent over the stone, building up those rich blacks, coaxing out the light, and creating this whole scene out of what is essentially grease. I think the interesting thing is that you have the crowd looking up, with the light source behind the main figure, which creates such a dramatic mood. It’s all about mood isn’t it? The scene suggests music, perhaps dancing. I think the energy of the piece is great! I love the way it captures the feeling of a live performance, the sense of excitement and community. The artist is making marks that represent all of these people and places but it is also a conversation with the history of printmaking. It’s this layering of seeing and mark making that gets me excited – the ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring each other’s creativity.