The Visitor 1945

Olin Herman Travis etched “The Visitor,” using fine lines to create a scene that feels both familiar and unsettling. I can almost feel the scratching of the needle across the plate, building up these dense shadows, and the quiet patience of the artist as he coaxes this world into being. I imagine Travis, sitting on his own porch, watching the light shift and the shadows lengthen, feeling the weight of the day. There's something Hopper-esque here, that feeling of loneliness and the unspoken stories lurking behind closed doors. This woman, perched on the porch, with that chicken staring back… I wonder, is she the visitor, or is she waiting for one? Are the thin lines of the print echoing the thinness of her? There is a shared language between etchers and painters. They both look to the world, absorb it and let it come out through their hands as something completely new.