Kansas Pastoral c. 1940

Archie Musick's "Kansas Pastoral" is an image made with graphite on paper and you can almost hear the scratching of the pencil, like a delicate whisper across the page. I imagine him outside, squinting against the sun, rapidly working to capture a scene, maybe even on a windy day. What’s so lovely about Musick’s work is the gentle touch, the tender way he renders the landscape. Look at the marks that make the foliage – a flurry of tiny gestures that give the trees a sense of movement. The composition feels both carefully constructed and spontaneous, as if he were building up the image layer by layer, responding to the shapes and forms as they emerged. It’s not slick, it's a drawing by someone who knew the land intimately. It reminds me of other American scene painters, those who sought to capture the everyday life and landscapes of their time. Musick’s work feels like a love letter to the Midwest, a quiet celebration of its beauty and simplicity. His drawings invite us to slow down, to appreciate the small, often overlooked details that make each place unique. Artists are always talking to each other; and Musick is having his say.