Mug c. 1939

Roberta Spicer made this drawing of a mug sometime in the twentieth century using watercolor. The artist uses delicate, precise marks that really show you the roundness of the mug, it's a testament to observation as a practice. You can see these repeated, subtle marks throughout. Look at the handle. See how it curves away from us, almost disappearing into the background? The whole drawing has this kind of softness, a quietness that makes you want to look closer. And then there's that little rose, just a dab of color, but it brings the whole thing to life. It reminds me a little of Morandi, that still life guy, how he could make simple objects seem so full of feeling. This mug, it's just a mug, but it's also about seeing, about paying attention to the small things that make up our world. And maybe that's what art's really about, anyway.