Spur c. 1938

This is Albert Pratt’s drawing of a spur, which I imagine he made with graphite or ink. I’m thinking about the artist and the process of drawing, sitting with the object, studying the light, line, and shadow. It must have been a meticulous act of observation, building up the image bit by bit. I imagine Pratt’s hand moving slowly and deliberately, capturing the intricate design and the cold, hard feel of the metal. The star shape with its pointed rays reminds me of the sun, so dangerous, like a weapon. There’s something almost fetishistic about the attention to detail, maybe because the spur is an object that relates to the cowboy, the horse, the mythology of the West, and that way of life. Pratt has made other drawings of cowboy gear; a bit, a harness. But I bet even he knew that drawing, like painting, is a transformative act, that it’s not just about replication, but about seeing, feeling, and understanding. We need to look closely at the world around us and take our time doing it.