Cattle Brand c. 1936

J. Henry Marley made this "Cattle Brand" drawing at an unknown date, and with tools which I cannot see. I love the directness of it, that it doesn't mess about. There's a real physicality to this thing. The black mark sits right there on the page, thick and a bit rough, like tar. It really states something about the artist's intention, or should I say, the rancher's intention? It’s as if the artist is showing us a kind of personal hieroglyph, a sign whose purpose is to make something his own, to say “I was here.” The strokes feel confident, economical, like they were made with purpose. I’m not sure what tools Marley used but I’m getting a sense that he approached it with an open mind, an uninhibited approach that allowed the image to come into being. It puts me in mind of Cy Twombly's blackboard paintings, or even the graffiti of Basquiat, where mark-making becomes a language in itself. And, like those artists, Marley invites us to find our own meaning in his strange, bold statement.