Shaker Porch Bench 1935 - 1942

Lon Cronk made this rendering of a Shaker Porch Bench, we don't know when, but it sits calmly on the page with understated confidence. I imagine him carefully choosing the ochre pigment to depict the wood, probably watercolour or gouache. He must have mixed and thinned it with water just so. I sympathize with Lon, I feel I am there with him, as he bends over his work, carefully rendering the bench that probably wasn't there in front of him. It’s more like he was copying the bench from his memory of it! The negative spaces are as important as the wood itself. The bench, and the depiction of the bench, are so humble. It speaks of an earnest dedication to craft and perhaps a reverence for simple, functional beauty. You can see how this piece relates to the traditions of folk art and craft, where the handmade object carries a sense of personal connection and cultural identity. Much like a painter builds up layers on a canvas, the furniture maker builds up a structure in real space. In both cases, artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other’s creativity.