The Herring Catch 1924

Philip Little made this etching called 'The Herring Catch', sometime around 1900. It's got these delicate lines, like whispered secrets on paper. I wonder what it was like to stand where Little stood, watching the boats bobbing on the water? You can almost smell the salt and hear the seagulls squawking. Look at the way the lines create a sense of movement in the water, how each stroke contributes to the overall feeling of the scene. There is a real sense of the day-to-day at work here. It reminds me of Whistler's prints, but with a bit more grit. It's like Little is saying, "Yes, it's beautiful, but it's also hard work." Artists are always in conversation, picking up where others leave off, adding their own voices to the mix. And that's what makes art so alive, right? It's never finished, always evolving.