Headdress 1935 - 1942

Eva Noe made this drawing, called Headdress, using graphite and watercolor on paper. The drawing shows a head with a large headdress. It’s like she’s figured out the basic shapes of the headdress and hair, and the face is missing. I wonder what it was like to leave the face empty. For me, this is a moment in the studio, it could be about the process of making a painting, or any artwork, as an act of inquiry. It reminds me of my own process, starting with a basic structure and then letting the rest emerge through intuition. There's something very delicate and tender here. The graphite lines feel so provisional, as if she’s just feeling her way around the form, allowing for change and discovery. What a wonderful conversation she must have been having with her materials! I think we are all in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas, inspiring each other’s creativity, as artists.