Studio Interior 1938

George Ault made this watercolor painting, "Studio Interior," to depict a calm scene of a domestic workspace. I can see the window light falling on the blank canvas on the easel, waiting for an image. The stove with its ornate piping is the heart of the painting. I bet George Ault needed it in his studio! It’s there, this big red thing, sucking up the air and then sending it up the stovepipe. When he made this picture, I wonder, was he warm? Or was he dreaming of warmth? Did he have to keep the fire going to stop the watercolor from freezing on the page? There’s something about the room that feels both cozy and totally empty, ready for life, or maybe just a scene of waiting, not unlike the blank canvas. Each element waits patiently. I recognize this waiting from my own practice. It is part of a larger conversation with painting itself, which unfolds as you make something and see where it leads you.