A cloverleaf on 4 light-sensitive plates 1981

Hubertine Heijermans made this print, A cloverleaf on 4 light-sensitive plates, in 1981 using a variety of different greens. It's so interesting to see how an artist approaches something simple, like a clover, and turns it into a whole world of texture and color. Look at the marks in the background, they're almost like blades of grass or rain, printed with a kind of scratchy energy. Then there's the clover itself, each leaf carefully defined with lines that suggest both its form and the light playing across it. And the thread, casually looping around, anchored by the needle, which is maybe the only really dark mark on the print. The piece feels so gentle. It reminds me of the work of someone like Joan Mitchell, that same embrace of color and gesture, but also the understanding that art is about making something new and unexpected. It's not just about what we see, but how we see it. And that's the kind of art I find most exciting.