Pa. German Flat-iron Stand c. 1942

Amos Brinton made this watercolour of a Pa. German Flat-iron Stand, and the way he’s gone about it is fascinating. Look at how those muted browns and tans create this feeling of something aged and solid, but with a light touch. It's like a memory, not quite faded, but softened over time. What really grabs me is how Brinton handles texture. You can almost feel the grainy surface of the metal, the way the paint seems to mimic the rough, worn feel of the iron. He leaves the background empty, like a stage, which pulls the stand out into focus. There’s this one spot, where the top bar curves, where you can see how he mixed a little bit of a brighter colour in with the brown, gives it dimension, makes it almost move. It reminds me a bit of Charles Sheeler, how he took these everyday objects and turned them into something monumental. I always come back to art for its ability to transform how we see, to make us stop and really look at the things we take for granted.