Wrought Iron Trivet c. 1941

This is Lon Cronk’s, Wrought Iron Trivet, and look at that colour palette, it is pure process. It's like Cronk is thinking out loud, letting the metal and form speak for itself. The texture of the iron invites you in, doesn't it? This piece is so raw, so unapologetically itself. It's like looking at a landscape of pure feeling. I keep coming back to the squiggle running through the centre; it's a heartbeat, a rhythm that pulls the whole thing together. There is such an awareness of materials here. Cronk is really speaking to you about process, about making. This reminds me of seeing Philip Guston's work for the first time, that same feeling of, yeah, this is what it's all about. It's like Cronk is saying, "Here, I made this, now what do you think?" And you know what? I think it's pretty great.