Carved Wooden Eagle c. 1939

Robert Gilson's carved wooden eagle, in watercolor, shows the artist's real affection for rendering its subject’s texture and form. I can see him working on the feathers of the eagle, trying to capture the feel of those overlapping shapes. They look almost like scales, rendered in subtle browns and creams. It’s like he’s trying to understand how the feathers fit together, how the light plays across them. The paint is applied delicately, and the lines create a sense of depth and volume. The eagle's beak is open and its eye is alert, which adds to the overall dynamism of the piece, a snapshot of raw natural power, but tempered with the patient, detailed observation of a wood carver. I wonder if Gilson saw something of himself in the eagle, its fierceness and freedom. All artists need a bit of that, right? We have to be fearless and fly in the face of doubt and convention!