Sea Bird Saga VIII 1966

Wallace Bradstreet Putnam made this charcoal drawing, Sea Bird Saga VIII, on paper, conjuring a monochrome world of creatures and lines. I imagine Putnam hunched over the paper, charcoal stick in hand, coaxing these birds into existence. Did he start with the cage-like structure of vertical lines, or did the birds emerge first, demanding a space to inhabit? It's all guesswork, but fun to imagine. There's a tension between the dark, smudged forms of the birds and the stark lines surrounding them. The texture is beautiful – a gritty, powdery residue left by the charcoal, hinting at the physical act of drawing. It makes me think about other artists who've found endless inspiration in the natural world, constantly reinterpreting, abstracting, and finding new forms of expression. Ultimately, drawings like this are about seeing and feeling, offering a glimpse into the artist's inner world and inviting us to bring our own experiences to the table.