Rush Light and Candle c. 1937

Editor: Here we have Mildred Ford's "Rush Light and Candle," a drawing in pencil on paper, dating from around 1937. It has a sort of stark, utilitarian beauty, if that makes sense? What strikes you when you look at this drawing? Curator: Well, immediately I'm pulled in by its almost eerie simplicity. A rush light—such a basic, fundamental tool for pushing back the dark. I see a quiet testament to ingenuity and, perhaps, a stark reminder of a not-so-distant past when light wasn't just a flick of a switch away. Makes you wonder, doesn't it, what stories that light might have witnessed? Editor: Definitely. And I'm curious about her choice to draw this subject. Was there something particularly special about it, or just a mundane object worth capturing? Curator: Perhaps both. I'm betting Ford found a certain sculptural elegance in the object itself. It is, after all, rendered with a tender hand; see the subtle gradients and shading on the metal and paper. The subject of her sketch hints at something elemental. I see here more than simple documentation; it's as though she sought to capture not just the *thing*, but also the *essence* of resourcefulness. What do *you* reckon? Editor: That's interesting; the 'essence of resourcefulness.' I was so caught up in the plainness of it, I missed that depth. Now it really feels different, less ordinary. Curator: See, that’s the lovely magic of art, isn't it? To transform something commonplace into something… more. And it gets us reflecting. Editor: Absolutely. I will not look at mundane tools again in the same way, that’s for sure!