Little Big Sur 1990

Eyvind Earle made this screen print of a coastal scene at Big Sur, rendering the landscape in a very particular way. The color palette is quite simple, almost stark, and the marks are quite precise. This really speaks to an understanding of artmaking as a process that embraces the beauty of simplification. Looking closely, you can see how the texture of the hillside is built up from repeated patterns. Each small shape is placed with intention, creating a surface that’s both detailed and unified. See the way the light hits the top of the hill, and how this is balanced by the grey haze in the background. There's a feeling of depth and space, even though the forms are quite flat. This contrast gives the piece its emotional resonance, its sense of stillness. Earle's work reminds me a bit of Japanese woodblock prints, where the emphasis is on clean lines and harmonious composition, yet he also very much has his own thing going on. Art, as always, is a conversation across time.