Copper Cock Weather Vane 1935 - 1942

Harriette Gale made this weather vane from copper, and then she painted it, though I don’t know when. The color palette is fascinating, a blend of muted blues and copper reds, like the metal itself aging with time. Gale captures this process beautifully, mirroring how art ages and changes with each viewer. Notice the layering of strokes creating texture, suggesting the patina of weathered copper. See how each mark feels deliberate, almost sculptural, lending a tangible quality to the image? It makes me wonder about Gale's process, her decisions about opacity and layering, the tools she chose. This piece reminds me a little of Arthur Dove's paintings, which aimed to capture the essence of a subject through abstraction and simplification, in order to highlight the fundamental qualities of color and form. Ultimately art invites conversation, and I’m glad to be a part of it.