Untitled [striding female nude] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a striding female nude with graphite on paper. It's all tentative lines and ghostly forms, a dance of erasures. I imagine Diebenkorn circling the figure, trying to nail down the pose. You can almost see him thinking, rethinking, searching for the right line that captures the weight and energy of the body. The erased lines aren't mistakes. They're part of the process, like the underpainting in a finished piece. There's a vulnerability in leaving them visible, like he's saying, "Here's how I found my way." It reminds me of some of my own painting processes, where I'm building up layers, obscuring and revealing, letting the history of the painting show through. I am in conversation with artists across time, inspiring one another's creativity, embracing ambiguity, and allowing for multiple interpretations.