Surveyor's Compass c. 1937

Curator: Archie Thompson’s "Surveyor’s Compass," likely dating to around 1937, rendered with watercolor and colored pencil. The paper itself seems like it's exhaling a gentle sigh. Editor: My first thought? Elegant obsession. All those painstakingly rendered details! The interplay of circles and straight lines almost hums. It makes you want to plan expeditions or draw treasure maps. Curator: Exactly! A compass isn't just a navigational tool; it's a symbol of ambition, exploration, charting the unknown. This compass, multiplied by the image of three of them here together feels almost talismanic. Editor: Absolutely. Circles often represent wholeness and cycles, and then you have the angles, denoting direction and purpose. This interplay suggests not only finding your physical way but also your purpose. Even the colours chosen hold a symbolic resonance - blue, usually represents intellect, truth, wisdom, heaven, and faith. This idea connects to the spiritual compass, doesn’t it? Curator: Nicely put! Thompson shows us something almost totemic. A desire for a more profound sense of direction. This rendering feels deliberate, considered—even the light seems calibrated, soft but precise. Is it the sort of north-seeking instrument you might also use for looking inward? I think so. Editor: It’s interesting how the artist positions each compass differently – one elevated on its tripod, another lower, more compact, and then a disembodied dial floating. Like perspectives, maybe? Showing how direction is multi-faceted? One compass can stand firmly on its own, the other could be placed inside your backpack for emergencies. A third can offer its vision in solitude on the wall... Curator: Each holds a potential. Perhaps they remind us that charting our own course often requires a combination of approaches. I wonder, does this represent some moment of life choice by the author? And this is how Thompson rendered a memory of a difficult yet beautiful decision-making process. Editor: Perhaps you’re onto something! Whether it’s a physical journey or one of self-discovery, this image evokes a quest—beautifully rendered in layers. I will now go home and pull out all the old compasses from my travel memories box.