Crock c. 1940

John Tarantino made this drawing using blue ink on paper. I can just imagine Tarantino with his pen, carefully plotting out this image of a bird with its fantastically patterned plumage. The ink sits on the surface, precise and deliberate. It’s as though each dot and flourish is a meditation, a way of slowing down and really seeing. I feel like the artist is inviting us to see the life in the everyday, finding beauty in simple forms. The piece reminds me of folk art, the kind of stuff that’s passed down through generations, each artist adding their own little twist. Tarantino’s got that same spirit, taking something traditional and making it his own. It's like he’s saying, “Hey, art can be found anywhere. You just have to look.”