Bishop Hill: Scissors c. 1939

Here we see a pair of scissors, rendered in watercolor by Archie Thompson. I wonder what the artist was thinking, making a painting of…scissors? Well, as a painter, it makes perfect sense. Think of the shapes! The ovals of the handles, the way the blades taper to a point—it's all about form and line. Maybe he was just taken by the sheer utility of the object. The color palette here is quiet, muted browns and creams. It's a humble painting in a way, reminiscent of some of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings. There’s a lot of pleasure to be had in the repetition of forms in Morandi’s work, just like this one. With both painters you can see the artists are just in love with the process. You know, painting is a conversation across time. Artists see what others have done, and they respond. Thompson might have been thinking about Morandi, or any number of artists. It's a lineage, a community, really. They inspire each other, even when they're long gone.