Meat Grinder c. 1939

Geoffrey Holt made this watercolor of a meat grinder sometime between 1855 and 1995, and it’s fascinating how he’s captured this everyday object. I can imagine him, perhaps in his kitchen or workshop, carefully observing the grinder's form, its wooden construction, and the metal components glinting slightly. The textures are amazing! It's such an ordinary thing, but the way he renders it, you get a real sense of the object's weight and its function. Think of the work that went into rendering the light. It reminds me of other artists who find beauty in the mundane, transforming something simple into a subject worthy of contemplation. It’s like he's saying, "Hey, look at this thing! Isn't it amazing how we make our tools?" And, as a painter, I feel a kinship with Holt. I understand that impulse to look closely, to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and to share that vision with others through art.