Along the Fence Line- Arthur McCall

Along the Fence Line , a new painting by San Antonio area artist, Arthur McCall is a striking cactus patch in full bloom with the tundra exposing  their flowerily fragility; juxtaposed by the cactus needles and the rusted barbed wire.  The rusted and twisted cable of this ambiguous property boundary enters in at the upper left, gets nailed to the sun bleached, dried and dilapidated fence post, and sweeps downward to a fallen and hidden country time column. 

The angle of the rustic metal line acts as a visual boundary to the sloping cactus on the right-side, separating the foreground to the nondescript background.  A simple horizon line draws no more attention than it should, keeping the spotlight on the highlighted haven of Texas Xeriscape.  

Not to exclude the rising timber post, McCall deliberately places this cracking and knotted wooden vertical almost center of the painting.  With deep and blackened crevices, this highly detailed boundary marker reaches up over the vegetation as an arm, an extension, or as an impeccable icon of a long forgotten personal possession.

With such detail given to this spikey spot of artistic muse, McCall expands his series of cactus painting, delivering a larger picturesque  painting of pointy plants; allowing us to feel the Texas sun on our backs as we lean in to smell the sweet succulents of summery splendor. 

©Gabriel Diego Delgado