Chrooslen=Ring=Koralle, Mäßer=Roosen=Kreutz und Gloken=Kreuz. Ottilia=Wald=Skt. Adolf=Ring; Riisen=Stadt 1921

Adolf Wölfli made this drawing on paper with crayon, ink, and pencil. I imagine him building up this image from the center outwards. You can almost feel him trying to construct a whole world. Looking at the center, I think about the physical act of drawing, the repetition of shapes and forms, like the concentric rings, the small, careful marks. I wonder if Wölfli found comfort and joy in this practice, as I do in my own work. It's like a form of meditation.   I’m drawn to the way Wölfli combines images and text, creating a visual language that feels both personal and universal. It's a testament to the power of art as a means of communication and self-expression, just like James Castle, Thornton Dial or Bill Traylor. This guy Wölfli really speaks to my own experience of painting as a process of discovery, where meaning emerges through the act of making, rather than being predetermined.