Mill Stones 1935 - 1942

Here we have Hilda Olson's 'Mill Stones,' a watercolour that captures the quiet dignity of everyday objects, rendered with such care and precision. Just imagine Olson, her brow furrowed in concentration, carefully mixing her paints to achieve those subtle gradations of gray and brown. I can almost feel the weight of those stones, the rough texture of their surfaces, as she meticulously maps each groove and imperfection. I wonder if she chose these millstones for their form, or if they held some deeper significance for her. Were they symbols of labor, of sustenance, or simply objects of beauty in their own right? I am reminded of Morandi and his bottles. It's like she's trying to understand the world through these simple shapes. It's quiet, but it's there. In the end, Olson's 'Mill Stones' invites us to slow down, to observe, and to find beauty in the ordinary. That is one of the many things that painting can offer us, each gesture a conversation across time.