Untitled 1976

This piece by Edward Renouf is an untitled drawing on paper, and when you look at it, you get a feeling of process. You can tell it was made over time, mark by mark. Looking closely, each mark seems to be made individually, like tiny dashes or commas all layered on top of each other. The texture is incredible, almost like a field of tiny particles suspended in space. The color palette is really restrained, mostly grays and whites, which makes the small variations in tone all the more noticeable. It is this accumulation of tiny gestures, building to something monumental, that reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin. Both artists share an interest in the meditative potential of repetition, and how simple actions repeated over and over can produce something incredibly complex and beautiful. What does it mean to spend all that time? That's the question.