Miner's Cart c. 1937

Frank Eiseman made this watercolor drawing, Miner’s Cart. It captures a wooden cart, probably a model, carrying a rock. I can imagine Eiseman eyeing up the cart, figuring out the angles and the light, deciding where to start. He’s laying down these pale washes of color, letting the wood grain emerge, almost as if the thing is painting itself. The rock looks heavy, all those facets. The quiet colors tell a story. This looks like someone thinking through an object, really seeing it. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter, that everydayness. It’s like a visual poem, isn’t it? Taking something plain and turning it into something we look at differently. Eiseman is in conversation with all those artists who find the extraordinary in the ordinary. It's about how we see, and what we choose to see.