Bracelet c. 1910

This turquoise and silver bracelet was made by a Navajo artist, and well, it’s just beautiful. Look at the surface. It's not smooth and machine-made, but full of tiny marks, scratches, and variations that tell a story of its making. See how the silver is worked around the turquoise stone, like the setting for a painting? And how the design with the feathers is both elegant and a little bit rough around the edges? It reminds me that art isn't about perfection, but about a connection to the materials and the process. These marks are like brushstrokes, each one a decision, a little action that adds up to the whole. It reminds me a bit of the directness you see in some folk art, where the artist's hand is really present. Like with Agnes Martin, it’s about an economy of mark making, about using the least amount of gestures to achieve the most. There’s a real conversation going on here, about seeing, feeling, and living.