Brass Cream Skimmer c. 1940

Sydney Roberts made this drawing of a brass cream skimmer, we don't know when, and with what, but it looks like pencil and watercolour. The process is laid bare, not hidden under layers of flashy paint. The colours, mostly browns and ochres, describe the object but they also evoke something else – maybe the feeling of a country kitchen, or the simple beauty of handmade things. Look closely, and you'll see how Roberts uses delicate washes of colour to suggest the texture of the metal. Each tiny hole is carefully rendered, giving the skimmer a kind of dignity. It reminds me a little of those drawings by Agnes Martin, where the simple lines create something really profound. It’s an everyday object elevated to art, and in that, there’s a kind of quiet revolution. It shows you don't need grand subjects to make meaningful work, sometimes the ordinary is extraordinary.