Gateway, Segovia c. 1903

Joseph Pennell created "Gateway, Segovia" using graphite and crayon. What I love about this piece is how the city gate emerges through a haze of charcoal dust! You know, sometimes, making art feels like excavation. I can just see Pennell, charcoal in hand, digging into the surface of that paper, trying to find the form, that perfect line, amidst all the smudges. Look closely at the hatching around the walls; the light and shadows feel like a code! It's like he's translating the stone's story into graphite. And that gate! It beckons like a dark, inviting secret. I bet Pennell was inspired by the Old Masters, but then, who isn't? We are all standing on each other’s shoulders. This piece reminds me that every mark we make is a conversation with the past, with the present, and with whoever comes next. It makes me want to grab my own stick of charcoal.