Shoal Green 1967

Stanley William Hayter made this print, Shoal Green, and what strikes me right away is how he builds up the image through layers of lines and color. You can almost feel the process, the decisions made in each pass of the printing press. The texture here isn’t just visual, it’s like you can feel the grooves and ridges of the plate. The way the two greens interact, one a solid, almost citrus base, and the other a darker, wavey pattern on top, creates a sense of depth and movement. Look at how the darker green lines bend and curve, creating little eddies and swirls. It’s like Hayter is trying to capture the feeling of water flowing, or maybe even the energy of thought itself. Hayter reminds me a bit of someone like Agnes Martin in his dedication to line, though Hayter's lines feel much more active, more like a dance. It’s a testament to how artists can keep talking to each other across time, each finding their own way to explore similar ideas. It’s never about one right answer, but about keeping the conversation going.