Portion of Birth Certificate c. 1940

Albert Levone made this portion of a birth certificate, likely using watercolor, sometime around the late 19th or early 20th century. You can see how the artist carefully filled each shape with a delicate touch. It’s like Levone is not just recording information but also celebrating a new life. The colors are muted, a soft palette of reds, greens, and browns. Look at the way the colors bleed slightly, creating a watercolor effect. Then there's the writing; the script is almost like a drawing itself. There’s something deeply personal about it, like a handmade gift. It reminds me a bit of Martin Ramirez, another artist who used repetition and pattern to create his own kind of visual language. Both artists create worlds within worlds, inviting us to get lost in the details and find our own meaning.