Pocket Flask c. 1941

Chris Makrenos made this drawing of a "Pocket Flask" in tones of chocolate and sienna. It reminds me of when I’m working on a painting and trying to find just the right shape, turning it this way and that, until it feels right, you know? I wonder what Makrenos was thinking, hunched over this drawing? The brown shades and patterns look a bit like wood, maybe he wanted to draw a natural form? When you draw something like that, you’re not just copying what you see, you’re also feeling it, thinking about it. It's a back and forth between your eye, your hand, and whatever is in your mind. It’s like a conversation. The shape reminds me of work by Giorgio Morandi - there's a similar sense of humble observation going on. Looking at this artwork, I can see echoes of other artists, other drawings, all those people who have sat and stared at things, trying to figure them out with a pencil or a brush. I really think it's all one big, messy conversation.