Letter Seal c. 1936

This 'Letter Seal', by Edward L. Loper, is carefully rendered in pencil and watercolor on paper. The soft hues of brown, tan, and gold create a quiet harmony. Look at the precision of the lines, the delicate shading that gives the object form. You can see the artist’s patient observation and steady hand. I can imagine Loper hunched over a desk, squinting at the seal, mixing just the right shade of brown to capture the subtle variations in tone. There's a stillness and care in the rendering that feels very intimate and personal. The small details of the design, those tiny lines and curves, remind me of the close attention to detail you see in the work of artists like Agnes Martin. Artists, we’re all in an ongoing conversation, aren’t we? Exchanging ideas, inspiring each other across time. Painting becomes this form of embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.