Home on Leave 1940 - 1945

Coreen Mary Spellman made this print, "Home on Leave" with pencil or charcoal on paper, and looking at it, I'm thinking, what does it feel like to make such a tender image? I feel for the artist who rendered this scene so delicately. It’s a moment of respite, of human connection. I can imagine Spellman, observing this intimate scene, feeling the weight of their embrace, the tenderness of their touch, and translating that into a network of finely wrought lines. The artist is considering how marks can convey weight, love, and sorrow, all at once. There’s the softness of her dress against his bare skin, the way the newsprint is crumpled. There’s a sense of vulnerability, maybe the fear of being seen, or not seen, of yearning for intimacy. And there’s also, I think, the artist who invites us into this silent space. That’s what mark making can do, it invites feeling. What do you feel?