Stable Lantern c. 1936

Florence Huston made this ink drawing of a "Stable Lantern", with such careful and deliberate mark-making. I like to imagine her poised over the paper, each stroke a mindful breath bringing light into the darkness, one line at a time. I wonder what it was like for her, constructing the intricate lines, mapping out the three-dimensional form with only the humble precision of pen on paper. The steady hand it must have taken, and the patience to hatch those dense shadows. The chain links seem to float in space, looping like thoughts in her mind. It reminds me of the work of artists like Piranesi, who used drawing to build impossible architectures. Huston has captured more than just the object, she’s also given us a glimpse into the solitary moment of creation, the quiet concentration that can transform the simplest subject into something luminous. Like a lantern, her drawing casts its own gentle light, inviting us to pause and reflect.