Vase c. 1940

Michael Trekur made this drawing of a vase, it's not dated, but he lived a long life, 1855 to 1995! What strikes me is the way he uses color to suggest form, letting the pink hues bleed and blend, almost like a watercolor, even though it's probably colored pencil. There's a tenderness in how Trekur approaches this everyday object, treating it with a delicate touch, almost like a portrait. Notice the subtle variations in the pink, how it deepens to create shadows and then thins to reveal the light. The surface is soft, the marks are feathery, and there's a real sense of care. Look at the way the base is handled, so softly, like a memory. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, in his still life paintings of bottles and jars, but with a more playful, less formal approach. Both artists transform the mundane into something beautiful, asking us to pause and really *see* what's in front of us. For Trekur, it's all about the process of looking, feeling, and translating that experience onto paper.