Stoneware Jug c. 1938

Annie B. Johnston made this delicate watercolor painting of a stoneware jug during her long life. I imagine her patiently building up the form with thin washes of brown, allowing the color to drip and create texture, capturing the light as it moves down the surface. I feel like she's in conversation with Giorgio Morandi, who also spent his life painting quiet, everyday objects. Annie, too, seemed to find endless possibilities in the simple form of the jug. What did this jug mean to her? Was it a treasured object from her home? Or was she simply drawn to the beauty of its shape and the play of light on its surface? These repeated vertical marks create a sense of depth and volume, while also giving the jug a kind of gravity. It makes me think about how artists find inspiration in the most unexpected places, transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary. I love that.