Dachshund 1935 - 1942

Frank Budash made this Dachshund, a watercolor on paper, and it’s just so charming. Look at how he's approached it, not trying to make a perfect representation, but letting the colors bleed and the lines waver. You can see how the piece is built up of individual marks, a process of layering that reveals the artist’s hand. The browns and blacks give the figure a grounded, earthy quality. The surface is softly mottled, suggesting the texture of wood. If you look closely, you can almost feel the grain beneath your fingertips. And then there's that single, almost naive red line around its neck, which brings the whole image into focus. This reminds me of other self-taught artists, like Bill Traylor, who share that same directness and simplicity. Ultimately, it’s about looking and feeling, and realizing that art is less about answers and more about opening up a space for possibility.