Louise Hamlin works in series, which can be rooted in a specific place (such as a city or a stream bed), condition (such as mist or nightfall), or form (such as plant structure). Each series reveals itself over many years. She is engaged in the process of looking and being continually amazed at discoveries; direct observation allows the subject to reveal itself in different ways over time, as does the use of various art materials. Some images are drawn or painted from observation (often on-site outdoors) as the basis for subsequent hand-pulled prints made in the studio. Hamlin’s new work is inspired by her fascination with various aspects of the native milkweed found in local fields and gardens. She’s been delighted with the exploration that drawing provides because of its ability to combine different aspects of these remarkable objects and to play with the elements of abstraction and metaphor that they suggest. Many of the surfaces and forms in her drawings are created through erasure—the process reminiscent of the shiveringly small gap between presence and absence and, on a larger scale, between existence and extinction. Each new drawing is a surprise, and Hamlin’s interest in her subject matter is enduring, driven by a curiosity to see what will unfold.