Neahkahnie Mountain, Oregon 2004

This photograph of a leaf in Oregon was taken by Robert Adams, though when it was created we don't know for sure, and in some ways, it doesn't really matter. What matters is looking at the image. It feels like the kind of image you make when you’re working on something else but then suddenly you notice something else – a leaf – and it has all these little insect bites that make these really beautiful meandering lines. Adams has chosen to get in really close. I feel for the artist here because, as a painter, I know what it’s like to be drawn to the smallest, most overlooked thing. The negative spaces created by what's been eaten away, make these tiny, perfect abstract paintings on their own. What did he think when he saw that? What did he feel? It’s all about that moment of connection.