Untitled c. 1969

This untitled piece was made with colored pencils by George Bunker, though we don’t know when. There’s something kind of magical about the way Bunker approaches color here. Look at how the blues and greens are hatched together, scumbled and blended, and how this creates a sense of depth and movement. The texture of the paper really comes through, giving the whole thing a lovely, intimate feel. It’s like we're seeing Bunker’s thought process, each mark a decision, a response to what’s already there, and a step towards something new. The strokes are visible, like the layering of thought. I’m drawn to the upper area of brown and gray, it’s got this quiet intensity, almost like a shadow play, and the way it bleeds into the lighter areas creates this hazy, dreamlike quality. Bunker reminds me a little of Forrest Bess, in that he was deeply interested in the process of artmaking as a journey into the unknown. Both artists embrace the mystery and the mess, and they invite us to do the same.