Covered Sugar Bowl c. 1940

Beverly Chichester made this drawing of a sugar bowl, we don’t know exactly when. The way the maker has used watercolor makes it feel like we’re looking at a physical object, but then the drawing flattens, it becomes an image again. That push and pull is exactly what keeps me interested in the process of artmaking, that move from something into something else. Look at the way that Chichester has created the light, how the brushstrokes are applied in these careful lines that describe the rounded form. The color is so rich, a deep, satisfying blue that feels both modern and old-fashioned at the same time. There’s something so tactile about the surface, it makes you want to reach out and touch it. You can almost feel the weight of the object in your hands. I can’t help but think of Giorgio Morandi, with his quiet, contemplative still lifes. Both artists remind us that art is about seeing, about slowing down and paying attention to the world around us. It’s about the ongoing conversation between artists across time, and it’s definitely about embracing ambiguity.