Hunting Trousers c. 1936

Mary E. Humes made these 'Hunting Trousers' with watercolor and graphite on paper. I love how she’s used watercolor to capture the texture of the fabric, like she’s feeling the material as she paints. And there’s this pale, earthy palette with vertical marks, which almost makes it seem like the trousers are fading into the background. I wonder if she was thinking about memory while she made this. It feels like she was maybe trying to preserve something, not just the trousers themselves, but maybe a feeling, a connection to someone who wore them. The little buttons at the bottom of the trousers feel kind of precious, don’t they? It makes me think about details, about how artists notice the small things that make up a whole. It reminds me of Agnes Martin's subtle lines; both artists use these quiet gestures to create something deeply moving. Art's all about seeing and feeling, and then sharing that with others. Humes definitely shares her unique way of seeing the world through these trousers.