Handcarved Toy c. 1939

This handcarved toy by Betty Jean Davis is brought to life by warm watercolor washes on paper. I can see the artist’s hand gently coaxing out the form with layers of translucent browns and creams. Imagine Davis, deeply connected to her subject, carefully rendering each element of the toy. I wonder what she was thinking as she painted the stoic expressions on the dolls’ faces or the smooth, rounded shapes of the wooden structure? There’s something so tender and precise about her observation. The woodgrain is so evocative of the maker’s hand. It makes me think of other artists who find beauty in the everyday—the quiet poetry of Agnes Martin, the whimsical sculptures of Judith Scott. Artists are always having this conversation across time. Davis' toy reminds us that art is a way of seeing, a way of understanding the world, and a way of preserving what we cherish.