Crock c. 1937

Ada V. May made this watercolour, ink, and graphite on paper artwork – called "Crock" – sometime during her lifetime (1855-1995). The main player is a pot-like vessel in browns and muted blues. I imagine Ada, brush in hand, carefully building up layers of translucent washes, trying to capture the essence of this utilitarian object. It's like she's not just painting a crock, but also its history, its purpose, its quiet presence in a domestic space. There's this lovely tension between representation and abstraction, between the object itself and its painted rendition. I can almost feel the weight of the crock, the cool smoothness of its surface under my fingertips. The lettering – C. Crolius Manufacturer – is like a little poem, a fragment of a bygone era. The blue flower detail in the corner adds a touch of whimsy, a reminder that even the most functional objects can possess a certain beauty. Artists, we're all in conversation, remixing and reinterpreting the world around us. We are all making paintings that don't give easy answers, but instead ask questions.