Skid Shoe for Horse c. 1938

Samuel Faigin made this drawing of a "Skid Shoe for Horse," and what strikes me is the way he’s turned the simple rendering of an object into something more. It's like he’s really considering the object, maybe even feeling it out. The rendering is very matter-of-fact. The palette is earthy, rust-colored tones, which is what you'd expect for a metal object. But then look closer at the details. See that granular texture? It's so tactile, like you could reach out and feel the flaking rust. And the soft shadows around the object lift it off the page ever so gently. There's a directness that reminds me of other self-taught artists like, say, Joseph Yoakum, who bring their own vision to the everyday. Art isn't always about grand gestures; sometimes it's about finding something fascinating in the mundane, and inviting us to look again.