Lower Ducktrap 1978

Neil Welliver made "Lower Ducktrap" with paint, probably oil, and a very particular way of seeing. Look at how he builds up this landscape, bit by bit. Each stroke feels deliberate, like he's trying to catch the light just so. The colours are muted, earthy, but there's this incredible vibrancy in the way he layers them. Notice the rocks in the foreground, how each one has its own little world of shadows and highlights. It’s almost like a puzzle, but with paint. And then there's the water, reflecting the trees above. It’s not just a smooth surface, it's broken up into a million little pieces, each one catching the light in a different way. It makes me think of Fairfield Porter, another painter who found so much beauty in the everyday. Like Porter, Welliver reminds us that there's always more to see, if we just take the time to look.