Summer Cloud, Apache Trail, Arizona c. 1927

George Elbert Burr made this print called 'Summer Cloud, Apache Trail, Arizona' by etching a plate. Look at the sky: isn't it amazing how he evokes the hugeness of the sky with all those tiny lines? It makes you think about the labor and time involved in artmaking as a process. The plate has a velvety texture, and the image is built up of tiny marks. If you look closely at the cloud, it's like a collection of dashes, a network of strokes that almost feels like it's breathing. Burr really knew how to coax a full range of tones out of a monochromatic palette. Even the little tree on the right is full of detail. Its wiry branches reach up and out. It reminds me of the work of someone like Agnes Martin, in that both artists find ways to use subtle gestures and tonal variations to create a sense of depth and space. Ultimately, it’s the kind of image that rewards close looking, inviting us to slow down and savor the quiet beauty of the natural world.