Watchman's Rattle c. 1937

Richard Whitaker’s *Watchman’s Rattle* is an intriguing object rendered in watercolor. Look at the layering of the browns to create the illusion of this three-dimensional object. You can almost feel the smooth, polished wood in your hands. I can imagine Whitaker, brush in hand, carefully building up the tones, stroke by stroke, perhaps thinking about the history of this object, what it meant to communities and their safety. Maybe the piece grew organically through trial and error; building, scraping back, and finding a form that emerged from the process. Whitaker's focus on a single object, rendered with such care, reminds us of the beauty and intrigue in everyday things. The way he handles the watercolor gives the rattle a sense of solidity and depth, but also hints at the fragility of memory and history. It's a simple image, but it speaks volumes.