The Gorge, Appledore 1912

Childe Hassam made this watercolor called The Gorge, Appledore, and it’s full of these juicy blues, oranges, and creams. You can see the quick strokes and washes, and I imagine him standing right there, trying to capture the light as it bounces off the rocks and water. I sympathize with Hassam. It's like he's wrestling with the scene. Is that a cliff or a wave? A shadow or a crevice? Look how he builds up the layers, letting the colors mix and mingle on the page. There’s this one dark blue stroke near the bottom that just sings – it’s like he’s saying, “Okay, here’s the weight, here’s the depth.” The whole thing feels so immediate, like he’s inviting us into his process. And that's the thing about painting, isn't it? It’s a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist and the world, each inspiring the other. It's never about a fixed meaning, but an ongoing exchange.