Masher 1935 - 1942

This is a watercolor and graphite drawing of a masher – a tool for mashing. Someone made this; a brown-stained sort of image on a tan background. I'm thinking of the artist holding the pencil and brush. There is a funny kind of awkwardness to it, a tenderness even. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter, with his sensitive, intimate paintings of domestic life. See how the artist meticulously renders the wood grain and the play of light on the masher's surface? They really wanted to depict the essence of this simple tool! I'm also thinking about the masher itself, the person who made the wooden object; who used it and for what reason? It makes you think about all the anonymous artists out there, each contributing their unique voice to the ongoing conversation of art across time. Painting lets us embrace ambiguity. We can see so many different readings and meanings here.