Combination Rush/Candle Holder c. 1939

Leslie Macklem made this watercolor painting of a Combination Rush/Candle Holder, and what strikes me first is the way the artist has captured the object with so few strokes. There’s a real economy here. It’s mostly browns and grays, but notice how the artist varies the tone ever so slightly to give a sense of form and depth. The brushwork is so delicate, particularly in the way the light catches the edges. It's almost as if Macklem is thinking about the object, how it casts shadows, how it sits in space, and then translating that into these very subtle gradations. Look at the base. There's a simplicity there, a kind of directness, that reminds me of some of Milton Avery's more pared-down paintings, where he gets the most effect with the least amount of fuss. And just like Avery, Macklem reminds us that painting isn’t about photographic likeness, but about seeing and feeling. It’s about how we bring things to life, not how we copy them.