Bridge and Trees 1959

Donald Carlisle Greason made this artwork, Bridge and Trees, sometime in the 20th century, using what looks like pen, ink and watercolour. See how the brown ink confidently defines the edges of the bridge and the foliage? It's like Greason's thinking with the line, letting it wander and explore. The washes of color feel light and airy, almost like a memory fading into the paper. The paper itself is allowed to breathe. Notice the criss-crossing supports under the bridge; they’re not precisely rendered. There's a lovely looseness here. It reminds me a little of some of the early landscape work by someone like Charles Burchfield. Both seem to be having a visual conversation about how we see and feel the world around us, not trying to nail it down, but keeping the door open for surprise.