Shaker Desk c. 1937

This Shaker Desk was painted by John W. Kelleher. You can see he's used brown, yellow and black paint on what looks like a piece of paper. I like to imagine Kelleher looking intently at the original desk, trying to get a handle on its simple, functional form. How its drawers slide, the feel of the wood. It's clear that the object is a site of inquiry for him. Look how thinly he's applied the pigment, almost staining the paper with color. The way he meticulously renders each plane and edge of the desk gives the work a meditative quality, right? You can see how much consideration he puts into showing how the light hits it. For me, painting is always a conversation across time. Kelleher seems to be in conversation with those original Shaker craftsmen, understanding their intentions, and adding his own voice through this act of representation. What could be more fun than that?