Valley of the Tay 1931

David Young Cameron created this etching, Valley of the Tay, by dragging a tool across a metal plate. The resulting lines have a silvery shimmer, like light hitting water. It reminds me that artmaking is really about the journey a line takes. Look closely at how the marks build up to create texture. The sky is made of fine, almost invisible lines, while the foreground is bolder, more assertive. It's like Cameron is whispering and shouting at the same time. See how the trees are rendered with these short, choppy marks? They give the landscape a sense of movement, as if the wind is rustling through the leaves. Etchings like this make me think of other artists preoccupied with the landscape, like the Hudson River School painters. But while they aimed for grand vistas, Cameron finds beauty in the quiet details. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfection, but about embracing the unexpected.