Schapen op stal te Exloo c. 1904 - 1912

Ferdinand Oldewelt made this drawing of sheep in a stable, most likely en plein air, with soft graphite. The marks are gentle, tentative, like he’s feeling his way through the scene. I can almost see him, squinting in the Dutch light, trying to capture the essence of those huddled sheep. The left page is full of scratching and hatching, where quick, glancing lines become masses of wool and wood. You know, it’s interesting how the other page is almost blank. Maybe he stopped there, realizing the sketch had said all it needed to say, or that the feeling of the moment had passed. Or maybe he just turned the page and started another drawing? I know I have sketchbooks like that. It reminds me that art isn't about perfection. It’s about the messy, imperfect, and fleeting act of seeing and trying to record that vision.