Pa. German Coffee Pot c. 1936

This drawing of a Pa. German Coffee Pot was made by James O’Mara, but we don’t know when, or with what. It’s all about line. A series of close, controlled strokes, like it was made with a very fine nib. Everything is so precise, but, paradoxically, the overall effect is dreamlike. It's that tension between the graphic and the ephemeral that makes it so compelling. Look closely and you can see these tiny decorative motifs, little stars, flowers, ferns. They remind me of folk art, maybe even tattoos. Like the patterns are embedded in the metal. For me, this piece is not just about representation, but the making process itself, the pure act of mark-making. It also reminds me of the work of Alfred Jenson, whose paintings were similarly concerned with line, pattern and decoration. I love the fact that art can be both a record of the world and a record of the artist’s own activity. It’s not about fixed meanings but embracing ambiguity.