Carved Wooden Basket c. 1938

This watercolor of a carved wooden basket was made by Regina Henderer. It's like a portrait of an object, with a warm palette of browns and tans. I can imagine Henderer really studying the object, trying to understand how the light and shadow played across the carved surface. Look at the details in the handle, you can almost feel the wood grain. I wonder what it was like for her to make this. Did she hold the basket in her hands, turning it this way and that? Did she feel a connection to the carver who made it? That bottom row of carved ovals has a rhythm that gives the whole thing a sense of movement. And the leaves and grapes, they twist and turn as if they are alive. It's a celebration of nature and craft. Seeing the artist's mark, is a reminder that all art forms influence each other, and that artists continue to inspire one another, across time.