Cross 1935 - 1942

Ray Price made this image of a cross sometime in the 20th century, using pencil and watercolor. Look at the precision of the lines, the way they suggest a vision emerging, stroke by stroke, from the flat surface. I imagine Price- who lived to be 100 years old - bent over the paper, carefully attending to each detail. What was he thinking, what was he feeling as the image took shape? I see faith, reverence, but also the pleasure of making. It is a drawing of a cross, but it is also a celebration of the hand and eye, the simple act of placing one mark next to another, allowing form to coalesce from the void. It’s like Ray is in conversation with other artists across time, a humble offering to the vast, ongoing project of image-making. And now, we too are part of that conversation, drawn in by the quiet, contemplative presence of this simple cross.