Cowboy in the Organ mountains, New Mexico 1949

David Burliuk made this piece, Cowboy in the Organ Mountains, New Mexico, with crayon. I love the raw, almost childlike way Burliuk approaches mark-making. The colours are laid down in broad strokes, creating a kind of shimmering effect, like heat rising off the desert floor. For me, this piece speaks to artmaking as a process of direct, unmediated expression, of capturing a feeling or a moment in time. Look at the way Burliuk uses colour – the oranges and pinks of the mountains against the yellows and greens of the desert landscape. There's a real physicality to the crayon, you can almost feel the pressure of his hand as he drags the crayon across the surface, building up layers of colour and texture. The cowboy himself, with his simplified features and slightly awkward pose, feels almost like a caricature, but one filled with a kind of warmth and affection. Burliuk's work reminds me a little of Marsden Hartley’s, another artist who found inspiration in the American landscape. Art's an ongoing conversation, right? A back-and-forth of ideas and influences.