Crow's Nest Tilt Top Table c. 1936

Herbert Marsh made this drawing of a Tilt Top Table, probably with graphite and watercolor, but when, we don’t know. What strikes me is the quiet patience of the rendering. Look at the variations in the wash of the tabletop. See how the light pools at the center, almost like a stain on the wood. I can imagine Marsh, hunched over his work, carefully layering the colors, letting them bleed together in unpredictable ways, building a quiet image, mark by mark. And those little tufts around the rim of the tabletop—are they flames? A kind of organic halo? It’s such a small gesture, but it animates the whole piece, infusing it with a gentle, almost whimsical energy. I’m reminded of other artists, like Agnes Martin, who found such power in simplicity, or Forrest Bess, who embraced the odd and unexpected. Art's like that; it's always in conversation. You never know where a single mark might lead.