Monica Variety 1962

David Budd made this piece, Monica Variety, using what looks like charcoal or ink on paper. It's all about the process, isn't it? You can see the artist working and reworking the lines, not trying to hide anything. Looking closer, there's this amazing tension between the bold, dark strokes and the delicate, almost ghostly lines. It's like he's building a structure, maybe a building, or a bridge, but one that's always on the verge of dissolving back into the white of the paper. Check out the way he's layered the marks, like he's searching for something, erasing, and then starting again. It feels honest. I'm reminded a bit of Franz Kline's black and white abstractions, though Budd has his own way of making something so direct feel so open and unresolved. Art isn't always about answers; sometimes, it's about embracing the questions.