Small Point, Maine 1917

John Marin made this watercolor painting of Small Point, Maine, with loose washes of muted colors, capturing a landscape in flux. I can imagine him standing there, squinting, trying to capture the essence of the place—the way the light hits the water, the feel of the wind. The colors are so subtle, like a memory fading in and out. Look at the sky, that single vertical stroke of blue! It’s like a lightning bolt of pure feeling. I wonder if he struggled with it, adding layers, wiping them away, searching for the right balance. Painting is always a process of trying to find something that's already there but hasn’t been revealed. It reminds me a little of Dove's work, that same sense of trying to capture a feeling more than a literal scene. Artists, we're all just trying to see the world a little differently, and then show it to everyone else.