Black Lace c. 1940

Helen Balfour made this drawing called Black Lace, and it gives me such a jolt of recognition. The patient, almost obsessive mark making. I can feel the artist losing herself in the process. The texture of the lace is so delicately rendered; you can almost feel the fragility of the material. There's an area in the lower right corner where the lace curves and folds, and Balfour captures the play of light and shadow so beautifully, giving the fabric a real sense of depth. There’s something so wonderful in the way she embraces the repetition of forms - the floral motifs, the intricate patterns - it's almost hypnotic. It reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin, who also used repetition and subtle variations in her grid paintings to create a meditative experience. Art, in the end, is really just one long conversation, isn’t it? A conversation about seeing, feeling, and making sense of the world.