Treading Clams, Wickford 1909

William James Glackens made this oil on canvas called 'Treading Clams, Wickford', and you can almost feel the salt spray. See how he's built up the surface with these gorgeous dabs of paint, especially in the foreground? I imagine Glackens out there, squinting, trying to capture the light as it dances on the water. The blue is so intense! It's like he’s wrestling with the scene, trying to pin down something fleeting. Look at the rocks – those thick strokes of ochre and brown give them real weight, a grounded contrast to the shimmer of the sea. It reminds me of other painters grappling with similar stuff, like Winslow Homer's seascapes, but Glackens has his own way of making it feel immediate. It’s like he’s saying, "Here, look at this moment, this light, this feeling." It’s a conversation across time, an artist sharing what it’s like to be present in the world. And that's a beautiful thing.