Rain 

Curator: We’re looking at Julie Bell’s drawing, "Rain." It’s a graphite and pencil piece depicting the head of a wolf. Editor: What strikes me first is the almost unsettling level of realism. The fur looks tangible, the eyes have this sharp, knowing gaze... it's like a captured soul. Curator: Absolutely. The artist clearly has a command over form, really using light and shadow to give depth to the fur. It is also very reminiscent of conservation movements throughout the late 20th century and into today and the importance that the image of wolves has played in them. The idea of pristine wilderness is not attainable and wolves symbolize this understanding and this tugs into an era when humanity recognized the need to protect what we have done so poorly at for decades. Editor: Precisely. And beyond the technical skill, consider the animal itself. The wolf often carries the symbolism of wildness, instinct, loyalty, but also potential danger. Its presence in art and lore goes way back. Curator: It is a reflection of the way society sees animals, which also parallels many human conflicts that are taking place globally as well as local levels. Editor: A primal reflection, one might say. Wolves stand in defiance of encroaching civilization. The rendering in simple graphite heightens this feeling - raw and untamed. Do you find it has this emotional effect? Curator: Certainly, though I'd suggest that these portrayals also tap into our modern anxieties about ecological imbalance. The animal acts as a call, however subliminal, to reconcile nature and progress. The history of conservation can not be disregarded. Editor: So, the 'Rain' in the work evokes perhaps a purifying cleansing of the world, returning it to a pre-industrial time. Curator: In essence, yes, I would say it makes a statement about our responsibility to our future, so long as we exist within a society and government. Editor: It’s remarkable how much meaning can be conveyed through the simplicity of line and shadow, through such a potent figure. I know what the wolf evokes in my unconscious, but I wonder what is happening for a young visitor who sees it? Curator: An encounter like that has so much opportunity to have an impression, to take from what we have and interpret our ever changing relationship between ourselves and the wild.