March 7 1937 4 (Sandbumptious) 1937

Grace Pailthorpe made this watercolour painting, March 7 1937 4 (Sandbumptious), on paper. The wash of the light blue background feels immediate, simple. Then these floating intestinal, tubular forms in rust and orange, and the pointy flower petal shape, all rendered with a thin, steady hand. I’m imagining Pailthorpe in her studio, mixing her watercolours, maybe listening to the radio, trying to dredge up some forms from the unconscious. I’m getting a kick out of these shapes. They’re definitely biomorphic, reminding me of other Surrealists like Miró or Tanguy. That elongated form with the orange-red gradient is really sticking with me. It’s such an odd, compelling gesture. It feels kind of stiff and precarious, hovering in space with those little antenna-like lines and ball shapes. And those looping lines at the bottom, almost like doodles or scribbles. I like how the painting offers a space for our imagination, inviting multiple readings. We, as artists, are all in conversation.