Indian River, Florida 1957

Donald Greason made this lovely brown ink wash drawing of the Indian River in Florida back in ‘57. I can just imagine him out there with his sketchbook, trying to capture those palm trees blowing in the wind. Look at the way he uses the brown ink, so thin in some places, almost like water, and then darker and thicker for the trunks of the trees. See how the brushstrokes capture the light reflecting on the water? It feels kind of effortless, but you know it took a lot of skill to make it look that way. I love how he's not trying to be perfect or realistic. It’s more about the feeling of being there, the mood of the place. You know, it reminds me a bit of some of the plein air painters, those who went out into nature to try and capture the light and atmosphere. Artists have always been inspired by each other, riffing on ideas and techniques, so this is a really beautiful example of that.