Prospect Harbor, Maine 1952

John Marin made this drawing, Prospect Harbor, Maine, with graphite on paper, and what I see here is not just a picture, but a record of a process. The marks aren't trying to trick you into thinking this is a real place. It’s more like Marin is showing you how he sees, or maybe how he *thinks* about seeing. Look at the lower part of the drawing, where the shoreline meets the water. See how those scribbled lines don't quite resolve into solid forms? They’re hesitant, like the artist is feeling his way through the subject. I love that tentativeness. The graphite is dry and a little scratchy. It gives the whole thing a feeling of immediacy, like it was made right there, on the spot. This reminds me of the drawings of Marsden Hartley – another painter who was drawn to the Maine coast. Both artists use a kind of shorthand to capture the essence of a place. They remind us that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist, the subject, and the materials. It's less about answers, and more about the questions we ask along the way.