Chair c. 1939

Grace Thomas made this watercolour painting of a chair. It’s all in muted browns and greys, and it's making me think about the quiet act of observation. Imagine the artist, maybe sitting in another chair, studying this object. She’s building up the image slowly, layer by layer, trying to capture the light on the wood. The chair itself is so linear, its different parts stretched out in a way that’s almost cartoonish, and yet it feels so solid and real. I can imagine the artist thinking about how this chair exists, how the idea of "chairness" is both a feeling and a construction. This image reminds me of other works, where artists take ordinary objects and elevate them through attention and care. This kind of painting becomes a form of meditation, and a way of seeing the world. It is an invitation to think about the everyday.