A Hillside Covered with Gorse-Scrub 

Editor: We're looking at "A Hillside Covered with Gorse-Scrub" by James Stark. It's a simple wash drawing, and the lack of color makes me feel like it’s a scene remembered rather than observed. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The gorse, a thorny, scrubby plant, often signifies resilience and protection in folklore. Notice how Stark renders it – not as individual plants, but as a unified mass. Does that suggest anything to you about community or the land itself? Editor: Maybe that it's a powerful, protective force? I hadn't thought of it that way. Curator: Exactly. Stark's seemingly simple landscape resonates with deeper symbolic meaning, hinting at cultural memories embedded within the land. Editor: I see it now! Thanks for showing me how to look for those symbols. Curator: My pleasure. Every mark holds a story if we learn to read it.