Drying Sails 1919

Philip Little etched this intimate scene of Drying Sails. With closely-hatched lines that build up tone and texture, the artist has captured a slice of harbourside life. I like to imagine Little bent over a metal plate, carefully and slowly building up the image of the boats by incising lines into the surface. It's a quiet labor of love, you know? Thinking about those sails drying in the sun, the water gently lapping against the hulls, and the salt air. I love the reflections of the boats in the water – they are soft and shimmering. You can almost feel the coolness of the water. There's a real intimacy and sensitivity at play here. And it's not just about this one image. It's part of a much bigger conversation that artists have been having for centuries. How do we capture the world around us? How do we make sense of it? How do we share it with others?