Port 1981

Maria Bozoky made this watercolor painting, "Port," probably mid-century, with a loose but knowing hand. It’s all dreamy washes of blues and greens, punctuated by these dark, decisive strokes that give it a solid edge. You can almost feel Bozoky squinting at the scene, simplifying the world into these planes of color and bold lines. I bet she was standing there on the bank, feeling the sun and breeze, trying to capture the essence of the place. That scribble of a boat, the way the building melts into the background – it's like a memory, not quite clear, but full of feeling. I see echoes of other painters here, those who also looked for ways to quickly capture a scene with a brush, like John Singer Sargent, for example, and others who let the water and pigment do its thing. It’s a reminder that we’re all in this messy, beautiful conversation, each of us adding our voice to the mix.