Wooden Spoon c. 1937

Wilbur Rice made this drawing of a wooden spoon, probably in gouache or watercolor, at some point in the mid-20th century. What I love about this image is its simplicity. It's just a spoon, rendered with such care that you can almost feel the texture of the wood. Look at how Rice uses subtle shading to give the spoon its three-dimensional form, it is a really descriptive approach to mark making. The level of detail in the handle is just gorgeous. And the color palette is so restrained, mostly browns and tans, which makes the image feel so grounded and real. I wonder what kind of wood it was made of? This work reminds me of drawings by Alex Katz, in that they are both interested in elevating the everyday, and finding beauty in the mundane. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be grandiose or complicated, it can be found in the simplest of things, like a wooden spoon.