Turtle Shell Bureau c. 1941

Esther Molina’s “Turtle Shell Bureau” is rendered in graphite and ink on paper. I love how Molina’s eye travels over this object, carefully mapping its surface, almost like a sculptor feeling its form. You can imagine her slowly building up the image through layers of delicate marks and tones. It looks like she was really fascinated by this particular shell and the way light hits it. You can almost feel the hard, calcified texture and its irregularities. I feel like Molina invites us to appreciate the strange beauty of the everyday, the way an object can be both familiar and utterly alien. It reminds me a little of the way Giorgio Morandi painted bottles, turning them into these monumental, meditative forms. The painting offers a unique way of seeing, transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary. It’s all one big conversation, isn’t it? Artists riffing off each other, borrowing and transforming ideas across time. It's about embracing the unknown and trusting that something interesting will emerge.