Clock, Antique 1938

Dorothea Farrington made this drawing of a clock, along with some studies, in pencil and watercolor. The color palette is muted, but the mark making is so deliberate, it gives the piece a kind of quiet energy. Look closely, and you’ll see how the wood grain is rendered with parallel strokes of colored pencil, giving a feeling of the clock’s surface and form. The brushstrokes of the watercolor are delicate, almost transparent, layered to create depth and shadow. There’s a real attention to detail, especially in the rendering of the ship within the small oval on the clock face. This careful rendering reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin, who used subtle variations in line and color to create meditative, abstract paintings. The inscription reads 'Practice Work.' But in the end, all work is practice work, a constant process of learning, experimenting, and refining one’s skills.