Zoar Pottery Assembly Horn c. 1937

Fritz Boehmer made this watercolor of a Zoar Pottery Assembly Horn. It is a warm, detailed rendering, and you can see the artist patiently coaxing the form from the paper. I’m interested in the imperfections here: those small white spots near the mouth of the horn. For me they are like the grace notes, which give the piece so much charm. They reveal the hand of the artist, and remind us that this is a mediated image, not a perfect replica of an object. The artist has used the watercolor medium to create a real sense of depth and texture, especially in the rendering of the wood-grain, built up through thin layers of transparent colour. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, an artist also interested in the poetry of everyday objects. Like Morandi, Boehmer takes the humblest of subjects and elevates it through careful observation and rendering. In this way, art becomes a kind of meditation, a way of looking at the world with fresh eyes.