Jar c. 1937

John Tarantino made this drawing of a jar. You know, I can only imagine the artist seeing this pottery and wanting to make something of it, just like the person who made the pot. There's this real simple but beautiful rendering of a bird in cobalt blue glaze and I imagine John, the artist, wanting to honor and elevate this object. But how do you capture the thingness of a thing? It's got that classic, folksy charm, right? The lines are clean, but there's a real handmade feel to it. I just keep thinking about the conversation between these makers. Tarantino saw something special in it and just had to make his own mark, his own gesture. Each artist is bouncing off the other, working through a feeling, an idea, together. You know?