Raw Hide Bottom Rocker c. 1940

Dorothy Johnson made this lovely watercolour painting of a ‘Raw Hide Bottom Rocker’. The light and airy palette give the work a real sense of openness. There’s a softness here, too, it’s all in the process. I find myself drawn to the delicate washes of colour, the way the paint seems to float on the surface, like a memory. See how the thinness of the paint allows the paper to breathe, lending a certain luminosity to the depiction of the wooden structure. The raw hide seat, stippled with browns and creams, offers a tactile contrast to the smooth, almost translucent wood. Look at the way Johnson’s light touch gives the impression of a real object with great clarity without weighing the image down. It reminds me a little of Fairfield Porter, his work also had a similar sense of everyday beauty. Art is an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas, it is about leaving things open to interpretation.