Thread Cutting Plane 1937

Clarence Secor made this drawing, Thread Cutting Plane, using graphite and colored pencil. I love the approach to mark-making here, the scumbled texture he’s created on the wood, it's like he's aged the surface, allowing us to feel the history held in this simple tool. There’s a real sense of touch here, of feeling for the object, both physically and emotionally. Looking closely, you can see how the colored pencil is layered, almost like watercolor washes, to build up the color and volume, and then the graphite is used to pick out the details. The drawing is both precise and loose, almost like a memory of the tool, rather than a direct representation. And then, there’s that sketch of the tool floating above the main image, like a ghost or an echo. Secor's work reminds me of other self-taught artists, like Martín Ramírez, who use repetition and simple materials to create complex and deeply personal worlds. In both artists, we find an embrace of ambiguity and a celebration of individual vision.