Crane, Boats, and Dock 1938

Donald Carlisle Greason made this wash drawing of a dock, boats, and a crane, probably en plein air, sometime in the middle of the 20th century. I imagine the artist standing there, squinting at the light, trying to capture the feeling of being near the water. He’s working fast, using confident strokes. The ink is thin and watery, pooling in some areas and fading in others. The crane looms in the background, drawn with precise lines, while the boats bob gently in the water. There is a balance between the man-made and the natural world, industry, and tranquility. I wonder what Greason was thinking about as he made this? Maybe he was drawn to the contrasts of the scene, the hard edges of the machinery against the softness of the water, and the reflections of the sky? Or maybe he was simply enjoying the act of capturing a moment in time. Artists are always in conversation with each other, building on the ideas and techniques of those who came before, and I’m sure Greason was inspired by other artists. This drawing embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations, which is what good art is all about.