Season's Greeting Card 1946

Sue Fuller made this intaglio print in 1946. A bird takes flight against a backdrop of intersecting red and green bands. It’s like a playful heraldic crest. I imagine Fuller in her studio, scratching away at the metal plate, building up this image from a mess of lines. It’s a dense, intricate drawing. I can feel the burr of the drypoint needle. The wings are vast expanses of patterned marks, delicate and fierce at the same time. Those sharp, pointed feet could carry you away. The plumes above its head are like a crown, an explosion of energy. This little card hints at her later three-dimensional works with thread. There, she suspended geometric forms, making drawings in space. Painters are always talking to one another across time. Fuller found inspiration in the work of others and she made something new, surprising, and all her own. I love the way she embraces the unexpected, finding beauty in the act of making. Happy Holidays!