Detail of Confessional c. 1940

Harry Mann Waddell made this watercolour on paper of a Confessional detail and I imagine him working meticulously in his studio, carefully rendering each curve and shadow. What might he have been thinking as he painted? Perhaps he was contemplating the act of confession itself, the weight of secrets, or the relief of absolution. The wood grain is rendered in such detail; the light dancing across the surface almost makes you want to reach out and touch it. It's like Waddell invites us to contemplate not only the physical form of the confessional, but also the stories it holds, the hopes and fears whispered within its wooden walls. It reminds us that every object, no matter how humble, can be a vessel for human experience. It's a quiet invitation to reflect on our own interior landscapes, the stories we tell ourselves, and the confessions we make—or don't make—along the way.