Toleware Teapot c. 1939

J. Howard Iams made this *Toleware Teapot* using…well, that's a good question. The way it’s painted, there’s something very gentle, yet clear, about it. It's a dark painting, but the application of the floral decoration is so delicate. What a difficult thing to paint! I imagine J. Howard Iams in his studio, taking a long time, turning it around, looking at it, taking a breath. You can sense him trying to get at some idea. There is a little sketch in the corner, which makes me think he was planning to paint an image of a series of teapots. Perhaps it was a commission? Who knows. It would be interesting to find out, wouldn't it? All that really matters is, that in art, one thing leads to another. We see each other’s work, and we build on it. We add to it. We criticize it. We steal from it. That's how art moves forward.