Mulleins and Rocks 1936

Prudence Heward made this painting, Mulleins and Rocks, with oil on canvas, and just look at those brushstrokes! I can just imagine her, maybe outdoors, wrestling with the canvas, the wind trying to blow it over. Those thick strokes! It's like she’s carving the rocks with paint. She’s not trying to trick you into thinking this is real, she’s saying, “Hey, look what paint can do! Look at this mullein, so awkward and upright and those rocks that seem to be oozing!” And those muted greens and browns—they’re not shouting, but they’re solid, like they’ve been there forever. It reminds me of Emily Carr, that same love for the landscape, that same need to get it down, thick and juicy. Artists are always talking to each other, across time, across countries, saying, “I see you, I feel you, let’s make something together.” Making art is like having a conversation with all the artists who ever lived.