People Walking amongst Small Sandhills 1983

Editor: Here we have Mary Newcomb’s "People Walking amongst Small Sandhills." I’m drawn to the visible brushstrokes and how they seem to give texture to the land itself. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: The materiality is interesting. Newcomb’s application of paint, thick in places, speaks to the physical act of working the land. Consider how this connects to the lives of the figures she depicts, their labor, their relationship to the environment, and what kind of consumption this landscape will enable. Editor: So, it’s less about idealizing the landscape and more about the process of interacting with it? Curator: Precisely. It encourages us to think about the systems at play. Considering the absence of date, the painting itself becomes a timeless meditation on production, making, and use. Editor: It really changes how I see the painting when I think about it that way. Curator: Indeed. Focusing on the materiality and production opens new avenues for understanding the piece.