Brooch c. 1937

Here's a watercolor on paper by John H. Tercuzzi depicting three brooch designs. Tercuzzi's touch is delicate; the gold has a subdued glow, and the gems pop with subtle intensity. It feels less like a drawing and more like a proposal, a vision laid out with care and precision. Look closely, and you can see the artist's hand in the rendering of the textures and colors. Each design is an emotional response, from the ruby encrusted knot, to the sleek, almost nautical compass like rendering. The gold shimmers, its value evoked through washes of thin color, inviting the viewer into an intimate dialogue. I’m put in mind of Charles Burchfield, another American watercolorist, who also straddled the line between observation and expressive abstraction. Like Burchfield, Tercuzzi seems interested in the power of art to evoke mood, blending technical skill with a kind of personal poetry. It's a lovely little glimpse into a world of craft and imagination, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.