Pa. German Flat-iron Stand c. 1942

Amos C. Brinton made this watercolor of a Pa. German Flat-iron Stand, sometime in the 20th century. Look at the stand's curlicues. Aren't they fun? The question is: how do you paint something like that? I imagine Brinton really studying the object, trying to capture the light reflecting off the metal, the way the dark wood handle absorbs light. The paint is applied thinly, almost delicately, to capture the object's details. See how the artist renders the stand's rust? It reminds me of Fairfield Porter's paintings of everyday objects, or maybe even some of the still lifes by Giorgio Morandi. Brinton's choice to paint this object elevates it, transforming an ordinary item into something worth contemplating. All artists are in constant dialogue, and I like to think of Brinton as participating in this long conversation about seeing, feeling, and representing the world around us.