Cattle Brand c. 1936

J. Henry Marley’s ‘Cattle Brand’ – looks like it was made with ink on paper. I can almost feel Marley’s hand moving across the page, carefully crafting this bold design. It makes me wonder, what's the story behind it? Was he sketching out an idea for a real cattle brand, or was it an experiment in abstraction, playing with form and function? There's a confident simplicity here. I can see him working in a community of makers and designers – perhaps communicating and sketching out plans and ideas with other ranchers and artisans. This drawing reminds me that artists are always borrowing and building upon each other’s work, each piece a response to what came before. We make images to communicate with one another. What does this image say to you?