Painted Decorations on Ceiling c. 1939

Here's a little watercolor painting of ceiling decorations, made by Harry Mann Waddell. You can see the light pencil markings underneath the paint – I can almost see the artist's hand moving across the page. I wonder what it was like for him, copying these folksy painted decorations onto the page. It's not photorealism – he’s feeling his way through it. The colors are muted, but the patterns on the woodwork evoke the cozy feeling of home. He’s got these looping vine-like forms, dotted with little circles, and then a red ribbon with tulip shapes. It reminds me of the warmth of rural life. It’s easy to overlook these kinds of images, but they’re part of a big, ongoing conversation. Artists are always building on what came before, picking up ideas, and running with them in their own way. Waddell is part of that too, and even though he's gone now, he still speaks to us through this painting. It’s a soft, humble kind of speaking.