Letter Poem 1971

This is John Dowell's "Letter Poem," made with ink and watercolor on paper. What a beauty. The colors are muted, a dreamy, gentle dance of light and shadow, like dust motes caught in a sunbeam. I imagine Dowell making this, maybe in a quiet room, sunlight dappling the floor. He’s coaxing these tiny marks out of himself, each a little breath, a little hesitation, an opening, a tiny vulnerability. It’s a kind of meditation. A poem on paper. Look at the way the marks float and scatter; they could almost be musical notation. It puts me in mind of Cy Twombly, another artist who knew how to make marks sing. But Dowell's marks are quieter, more introspective. They invite you in, to lean closer and listen to what they have to say. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, a dance between artists across time. We all borrow, steal, and riff off each other. It’s one big, messy, beautiful conversation that never ends.