#05: El Paraguas (The Umbrella) 2008

Marina Pallares made this small woodcut, entitled '#05: El Paraguas (The Umbrella),' and it's all about the push and pull of black and white. It's that kind of piece where the artist is really letting the process sing. I’m really taken with how the rain becomes bottles, hovering above the umbrella, shifting our perspective. There's a tactile quality to the whole thing; you can almost feel the texture of the wood, can’t you? The artist isn't trying to hide the hand-made nature of the work. In fact, they are highlighting it. Look at the way the white lines create the rain, or the spokes of the umbrella. Each mark feels deliberate yet spontaneous. This piece reminds me of the graphic work of someone like Elizabeth Catlett, in its starkness and its focus on everyday scenes. Art’s all about conversations, right? Pallares seems to be inviting us into a visual dialogue that spans time and place.