Doorway at Mission San Juan 1935 - 1942

June Dale made this drawing, “Doorway at Mission San Juan,” using colored pencil, but when? Unknown! There’s a real precision in the way she built up the tones on that weathered stone, like she’s documenting every little imperfection and stain. Look at that door. That pale blue is almost ghostly. The vertical lines feel solid, but that wavy central seam gives the whole thing a kind of playful, almost cartoonish vibe. It doesn't quite meet in the middle somehow. And then there’s that little pop of red, that little detail of the letter box, that is so out of place and feels so loud. It’s like, hello! Is anyone home? It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, that incredible Italian painter who spent his life painting the same bottles over and over. The way he’d find endless variations in the simplest things… It’s a reminder that art is a conversation, not a monologue. It’s about how we see, and how we make each other see.