Pa. German Plate 1936

Eugene Shellady made this Pa. German Plate out of paint on board sometime in the 20th century. Just imagine him, brush in hand, circling that plate’s edge with alternating dashes and dots. I wonder what he was thinking when he painted this? The ochre ground feels sunny and warm, like the inside of a terracotta pot. The bird – perched above what looks like a houseplant – seems to echo the dashes and dots of the plate’s outer rim. The bird is like a funny mirror of all those shapes. Looking at this, I’m thinking about the tradition of folk art, of making art from the materials and motifs that are close at hand. And how, through this art, one generation speaks to another, carrying forward symbols and stories, remaking the world in their own image.