Dress c. 1937

Ray Price, who lived an exceptionally long life, made this drawing of a dress, we don't know when, but it doesn’t really matter. What I notice first is the tender approach to mark making and the restricted palette that makes the image so appealing. It reminds me that artmaking is always a process of discovery. The dress itself is rendered with a delicate touch, emphasizing texture and form. Look closely and you see the weave of the fabric, created through careful hatching and cross-hatching. The layers of transparent watercolor create depth and luminosity, giving the fabric a life of its own. Notice the way Price uses color to model the folds and drapery of the dress, creating a sense of volume and movement. The adjacent drawing of the back of the dress adds another dimension, emphasizing how the garment drapes. The drawing feels like a conversation with art history – like Agnes Martin or Hilma af Klint – where the process is as important as the final product.