The desert, Arizona c. 1928

Here we are in the desert, Arizona, with a painting made after E.M. Dressler. It is a low-lying scene, pale yellow sky, ochre ground, and mauve mountains in the distance. I can imagine the artist stepping back, squinting, trying to capture the light on the scrubby plants, and the way the heat shimmers. Think about the artist's hand moving, the brush full of thin colour, coaxing out the subtleties of the sand and rock. It's funny how painting always involves invention, not just pure copying. Look at the way the brushstrokes suggest texture, the dry earth under the sun. This piece makes me think about Georgia O'Keeffe and her landscapes, her paintings of the Southwest. Artists are always in conversation with each other. Each brushstroke, each colour choice, is a response to what has come before. The beauty of painting is that there is no right or wrong way to see, there are only different perspectives.