Great Strides 2018

Carrie Graber has used paint here to give us a snapshot of sun-drenched leisure, a woman walking her little dog. You can almost feel the heat radiating from the canvas. I can imagine her building up these forms, from the figure to the architecture to the perfectly trimmed shrubs, layer by layer. I can’t help thinking about Hockney when I look at this work. I'm picturing Graber in her studio, carefully mixing those warm peachy tones, trying to get the light just right. There's such a stillness here, but also movement—the woman’s confident stride mirrored by the dog’s trot, those shadows reaching out, trying to catch up. It's funny how a painting can freeze a moment like this, turning the ordinary into something timeless. I love the thought that artists, through their own unique vision, keep the conversation going, echoing and responding to each other across time and space.