Dish with Foot c. 1940

Beverly Chichester made this watercolor, "Dish with Foot," sometime in her long life. Look at the way the colors blend and bleed into each other; it's all about letting the medium do its thing, a dance between control and chance. The paint in this work is thin and transparent, like looking through colored glass. I am drawn to the rim of the dish, which has a dark, almost black line giving it definition. It is precise and considered and stops the picture from being a complete wash of color. The way that line wobbles slightly really humanizes the image, like the artist is right there with you in the room. This watercolor reminds me a little of the still life paintings of Giorgio Morandi, who also explored simple, everyday objects with a muted palette. But while Morandi's paintings have a kind of solemn stillness, Chichester’s "Dish with Foot" feels more playful and open, embracing the unpredictable nature of the watercolor medium.