Erwinna c. early 1930s

Daniel Garber made this drawing of Erwinna with graphite on paper. I love the way the town melts into the landscape, as if the whole scene is breathing together. There's something so satisfying about the texture here, the way he builds up the image with these layers of tiny marks, like whispers on the page. Look closely at the foreground, at the field where the cows are grazing – the subtle shifts in tone give it a real sense of depth, and that feeling of being present in the landscape. Garber has such a light touch, but there's also a real confidence in his mark-making. It reminds me of Whistler in a way, that ability to capture a scene with just the barest of means. What I find interesting is that, like Whistler, Garber embraced ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own experiences to the work.