Kop zonder oor, polychroom beschilderd met waterverf c. 1920 - 1922

This little cup, "Kop zonder oor," was painted with watercolor by N.V. Plateelbakkerij Ram. The way the colors swim together reminds me of artmaking as a process, always fluid and changing. The colors are so gentle and seep into the surface, which is just a bit rough and bumpy. It’s all very tactile. You can practically feel the artist’s hand moving, swirling those pastel watercolors around to form a garden. Look at how the brush dances around the edges of the flower in the center. It is a lovely splash of red, yellow, and blue and how the thin green lines make looping and curling patterns. All these soft blooms and tendrils remind me of Elizabeth Murray’s paintings, but in miniature. This cup is like a whole other world. Isn’t it amazing how art can do that?