Taper Jack c. 1936

Janet Riza made this small watercolour drawing of a taper jack, sometime between 1855 and 1995. The light washes are so precise, almost architectural, and yet, I can imagine Janet, squinting her eye and really looking hard to get every shadow and shine just right. I wonder if she worked from life, or from a photo? I love the way the candlestick seems to float a little bit on the page. There's something so charming in its old-fashioned-ness, and I feel like, through this image, she's asking us to pause and really see the beauty and function of everyday objects. It reminds me of those Shaker drawings, so attentive, so careful. Artists, always looking, always learning from one another, even across time. It's like a big, ongoing conversation.