In "The Potato Chip Inspector" (2023), Samantha Roth deploys her signature combination of black gesso and colored pencil on paper to conjure a scene that hovers between the mundane and the quietly surreal. The dark ground, characteristic of her practice, absorbs light rather than reflecting it, allowing the colored pencil marks to emerge with an almost luminous, fragile quality. The work's modest scale, 38.1 by 57.1 centimeters, suits the intimate absurdity of its subject, inviting the viewer to lean in and participate in whatever solemn, ceremonial scrutiny the title implies. Roth's choice of materials is never incidental. Black gesso denies the conventional white ground that colored pencil typically requires, and in doing so it forces the pigment to work harder, yielding a depth and richness that read as both carefully considered and somehow offhand. The result is a surface that rewards sustained looking, with layers of mark-making that reveal themselves gradually. This tension between casual humor and genuine craft is central to her appeal, and "The Potato Chip Inspector" is a confident example of how she sustains that balance without tipping into either pure comedy or labored seriousness. Available through Public Gallery, the work is hand-signed by the artist and presented unframed, giving the collector flexibility in how the piece is ultimately housed and displayed. For those drawn to works that carry genuine wit alongside material rigor, this is a strong and accessible entry point into Roth's ongoing body of work.