Harvester Jug c. 1937

Yolande Delasser made this watercolor drawing of a harvester jug sometime between 1855 and 1995. I love how Delasser has captured the essence of the jug’s humble materiality. Look closely, and you can almost feel the jug's cool, sturdy weight in your hands. I can imagine Delasser sitting with the jug, observing how light plays on its surface, how the subtle variations in tone create depth and volume. I wonder if she felt the weight of history in this object, the generations of hands that had gripped its handle, the stories it could tell of hard work and simple pleasures. The blue floral motif, so delicately rendered, adds a touch of poetry to an otherwise utilitarian object. There’s a real conversation happening here across time, between the maker of the jug and Yolande Delasser and then us. Each adding something new and personal. Painting like this is a form of embodied expression, where ambiguity allows for all sorts of interesting interpretations.