Jongen en meisje verzamelen takken en bladeren 1895 - 1950

This line drawing of children collecting twigs, by Nelly Spoor, reminds me that artmaking is a lot like gathering. Look at how Spoor piles up strokes to make a heavy, dark bush, pressing with the pen to create depth, and using a lighter touch for the grassy details. It's all about the dance between pressure and release, a push and pull. The material of this piece is so present. The lines aren’t just describing things, they're also making the space – those dark areas of dense foliage are built up with such care. If you look at the base of the large tree, you can see the pen strokes moving in all directions, as if the artist can't decide how to ground it. That’s a great bit of honest searching, right there on the page! Spoor’s drawing style reminds me of Aubrey Beardsley, but with a more playful approach. You get the sense that she’s not aiming for perfection, but for something much more interesting, something a little bit wild. Art is a conversation and Spoor is adding her own unique voice to it.