Just Maine 1927

Philip Little made this etching, Just Maine, and you can see how the image comes into being through line, emerging, shifting through trial, error and intuition. I sympathize with Little, imagining him outside, trying to capture the essence of a place so dear to him. Little would have had to consider the physicality of the plate, the pressure of the tool, and the quality of the line it produces. The textures shape our experience and contribute to the emotional feeling of the place. The etching has depth, but there is a flatness to it too. The trees on either side draw the eye, creating a tunnel of vision, framing the view of the water. This work makes me think about other landscape artists, such as the American Tonalists, who were interested in capturing atmosphere and mood through subtle tonal variations. Artists are in conversation across time, inspiring each other. Painting, and etching, are embodied expressions that embrace ambiguity. There's so much room for many interpretations.