Wooden Meal Scoop c. 1941

Wilbur M. Rice painted this "Wooden Meal Scoop" with watercolor on paper, and I can imagine him carefully laying down those washes, one after another. I like how he’s thinking about the scoop, turning it over in his mind, figuring out how to represent a 3D object in a 2D space. It’s almost like he's asking, 'how can I make something flat feel real?' And that's what I think about when I'm making a painting. The paint is thin, almost transparent in places, allowing the white of the paper to shine through. Look at how the colors blend, creating depth and shadow! He's not just copying what he sees, he's adding his own voice, his own touch. It’s a quiet, humble painting, but it’s full of care. Thinking about other painters, like Giorgio Morandi, who took everyday objects like bottles and turned them into something really special.