Chilly Morning 1954

John Ledden made this print, Chilly Morning, in 1959, and it looks like he used some kind of printmaking technique to create it. The colours are muted, not flashy, giving the scene a calm, quiet mood. The textures in this piece are something else. See how the colours overlap, not quite matching up, giving it a kind of rough, handmade feel? You can almost feel the grain of the woodblock, or whatever he used, adding depth to the picture. There's this shack on the right, with that sign – "Silas Reed Girls" – it’s a strange detail, hinting at stories we can only guess at. It’s this combination of the real and the mysterious that grabs me. Ledden's work reminds me a bit of folks like Jacob Lawrence, you know, artists who aren't afraid to show the everyday, with all its grit and beauty. It’s like they’re all part of a conversation, each adding their own voice. Art isn't about answers, it's about the questions that linger.