Plane 1935 - 1942

Frances Godfrey made this drawing of a carpenter's plane using watercolor, and I can only imagine how they built up the image layer by layer. The way the artist has carefully rendered the wood grain and the decorative carvings gives it a real sense of texture and depth. I bet it was a slow process, building up washes of color to create those subtle variations in tone. When I look at this drawing, I imagine Frances studying every little detail and nuance of the object. What was she thinking as she captured the textures and character of the plane? Was this an exercise in observation? Or was there a deeper, more personal connection to this object? The image offers a way of seeing and thinking about the world through this humble object. I feel like artists are always in conversation, inspiring one another's creativity across time. Embracing ambiguity and uncertainty opens up multiple interpretations and meaning.