James Lesesne Wells was a prolific printmaker who worked in a variety of print processes, but favored linoleum cut and woodcut because they allowed him to create bold patterns and strong contrasts of light and dark. In "Looking Upward", a figure moves through the city, confidently balancing a group of buildings in his arms. As the angled high-rises dynamically shift around him, those in his arms remain upright and sure. In "Aspiration", a group of abstracted figures in the rolling hills of the countryside gaze up at the light of the sun.