Mision La Purisima Concepcion - End of Cloister Wall 1935 - 1942

James Jones made this drawing, Mision La Purisima Concepcion - End of Cloister Wall, date unknown, with ink on paper. I wonder about the making of this drawing... the artist carefully building up the image, line by line. I'm thinking about how the layering of these marks creates a sense of depth and texture, like the touch of weathered stone and old brick. The different tones create this sense of something aged and sturdy, yet delicate too. Did Jones stand there, squinting in the California sun, feeling the weight of history as he made the sketch? I can almost see him adding the finishing touches, carefully rendering the play of shadow and light, lost in the quiet act of capturing the essence of the Mission wall. This piece resonates with others that focus on the texture of surfaces, the interplay of architectural form and abstract shape, like Agnes Martin or Dorothea Rockburne. Like many artists, Jones is in conversation with those who came before and those yet to come, inspiring each other to see the world anew. This drawing is really about that ongoing exchange, the way that one small, careful act can echo through time.