Ruins of Fort Phantom - Abilene Tex. 1938

Hazel Fulton McGraw made this drawing of the Ruins of Fort Phantom in Abilene, Texas, using graphite on paper. You can almost feel the give of the soft graphite as it moves across the slightly rough surface of the paper. I like to imagine McGraw standing in this place, maybe on a day just like this, squinting through the bright Texan light, charcoal in hand, trying to capture the way the crumbling stone and gnarled tree reach towards the sky, all while the clouds churn above. What was she thinking, sitting there on the ground? These dense marks are really evocative. Looking at it, I'm reminded of Piranesi's architectural prints, all that melancholic atmosphere. Artists are always in conversation, right? McGraw, I think, is reminding us that even in ruins, there's a stark beauty to be found, that marks on paper can communicate so much feeling.