Watchers 1955

Lee R. Chesney's etching, "Watchers," is a world built out of nervous energy. The lines seem to quiver and buzz with a kind of internal electricity. It's all process! Chesney isn't trying to hide the way he's building this strange scene. The mark-making is so immediate and raw, you can almost hear the scratching of the needle on the plate. Look closely at the figure on the right – the face is a jumble of broken lines, like a shattered mirror reflecting a distorted reality. The texture is almost tactile, you can practically feel the roughness of the etched lines under your fingertips. The whole thing reminds me of a fever dream, or maybe a drawing by Picasso after a triple espresso. Is Chesney looking at us, or are we looking at him? Maybe it’s both – a conversation across time and space, a reminder that art is always a dialogue, never a monologue. Anyway, that's how it strikes me today...ask me tomorrow, I might see something different!