Valdez, New Mexico 1946

This piece, Valdez, New Mexico, by Helen Green Blumenschein, shows a landscape done in print, and what’s so great about print is that it's all about process! You get these flat surfaces of pure color laid next to one another, like how one thought follows another. Looking closely, I love the way she’s created the textures of the mountain with these smooth, almost edible-looking layers. Check out the dark purplish shadow running down the mountain on the right. It’s such a simple shape, but it gives the whole scene so much depth, both literally and emotionally. You can feel the hugeness of the mountain in the way it looms over the town. I think Blumenschein is kind of like a more earthy Lois Dodd, there is a real focus on the specifics of place and how light sits on it. And like all good art, this print isn’t just about what it shows, but how it makes you feel. It’s a conversation, not a lecture.