September Storm 1951

Stow Wengenroth made this lithograph called "September Storm" with ink and a stone. Can you imagine him grinding the materials together, mixing and testing? The image is a monochromatic scene, it's moody. You can almost smell the ocean. The rocks in the foreground are in deep shadow, but the waves in the background are white and foamy. I wonder what he was thinking when he chose this scene. Maybe he was drawn to the contrast between the solid rocks and the ever-changing sea. I bet he worked slowly and deliberately, building up the image with tiny marks. I wonder if he knew other lithographers? Did they ever meet and talk shop? I like to think of artists as being in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other across time. We're all just trying to make sense of the world in our own way. And sometimes, the best way to do that is to pick up a tool and get to work.