Umber Knoll 2002

Ivan Eyre made "Umber Knoll," likely in the late 20th century, with careful attention to both color and texture. At first glance, it looks like a straightforward landscape painting. But consider the making: Eyre has built up the image from countless small strokes. This isn't the smooth, blended brushwork of academic painting. It's closer to the repetitive, meditative actions we associate with craft traditions like weaving or embroidery. The umber tones and densely worked surface give the painting a tactile quality, as though we could reach out and feel the contours of the land. You could even say that the painting is performing labor, mirroring the physical effort required to cultivate the land. By emphasizing the labor and materiality of painting, Eyre asks us to consider the value of both artistic and manual work.