Pitcher c. 1937

Francis Law Durand made this lovely watercolor painting of a pitcher, sometime between 1855 and 1995. Can you imagine him at his desk, carefully layering the paint to capture the form of that adorable owl-shaped jug? I love how he's used a muted palette of browns and creams. He really focused on the texture of the ceramic, mimicking the way light hits those little bumpy 'feathers'. There's even a sketch of the handle in the corner, which makes me think about Durand's artistic process—the sketching, the trial and error. The overall composition feels so intimate, it's like he's inviting us to share a quiet moment of appreciation for this object. It reminds me of other artists, like Morandi, who found so much to say in the humble still life. It shows us that there are endless possibilities when we embrace ambiguity.