Hand Fluting Iron c. 1938

This small, almost humble, painting of a “Hand Fluting Iron” was made by Samuel W. Ford, who lived between 1855 and 1995. I can only imagine him hunched over the surface, squinting at the object, trying to capture the fall of light across its surface. The color palette is very muted, browns and grays mostly, but for me, the interest lies in the surface qualities. Notice the way he described the texture of the iron: how its surface undulates with ridges and grooves and a kind of dull gleam, suggesting its age and use. When you look closer, you can see where he must have mixed colors, layering them on the paper to achieve that particular tone. There’s something very satisfying about how Ford has lovingly depicted this mundane object. I find myself thinking about other artists like Giorgio Morandi, who made very similar paintings of bottles over and over. They remind us that artists are in constant dialogue with each other. They inspire one another to look, see, and represent the world around them, both literally and metaphorically.