Teapot 1937

J. Howard Iams made this watercolour drawing of a Teapot sometime around 1937. It’s rendered with a delicate touch, almost like a memory fading into paper. The colour palette is muted, primarily creams and soft browns, punctuated by delicate floral motifs in muted yellows, greens, and reds. Look at how the washes create a sense of depth and volume, especially in the body of the teapot. The garlands feel like a whisper of decoration, and the drips on the spout and handle suggests a gentle imperfection, like a tear about to fall. It reminds me of Charles Burchfield's dreamlike landscapes, where everyday objects are imbued with a quiet, melancholic beauty. In both artists there’s this embrace of the imperfect, the handmade, and the deeply personal. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art is as much about feeling and process as it is about representation.