Pitcher c. 1940

Curator: Look at this delightful watercolour, titled "Pitcher," created by Roberta Spicer around 1940. Editor: It has a sort of quaint elegance to it, doesn't it? Almost like a memory of a porcelain piece rather than a direct portrayal. The colors are soft, and the little wreath design gives it a folksy touch. Curator: I agree. This drawing encapsulates an interesting moment in decorative arts, when artists often blurred the lines between craft, design, and fine art, democratizing artistic practice and bringing design into everyday life. Pieces such as this, often found within museums or instructional pamphlets, are important visual documents of what everyday people were supposed to cherish in their lives. Editor: I’m drawn to the symbolism Spicer employed here. The garland is, of course, redolent of celebrations and home comforts, though the ribbon tied to its bottom in blue is unique, don't you think? This touch infuses what could've been simply a commonplace depiction with a certain intimate grace. The application of watercolour helps emphasize the beauty found in routine things. Curator: Definitely. The use of watercolors, even to represent something as materially robust as ceramics, can suggest something. What comes to your mind? Editor: Well, watercolors have always evoked a certain ephemeral quality to me; like the golden designs around it. So there is a play on fleeting and solid; like memories, like home comforts that remain with us regardless. The wreath design is such an immediately understandable image. And again, that little blue bow! Such a tiny pop of colour amidst the otherwise muted palette. Curator: Exactly. Roberta Spicer certainly left a charming visual document of a time when even household objects aspired to artistic expression and also it reflects a movement of using the tools of "fine arts" like painting to make fine artworks out of daily scenes of common objects. Editor: It is truly remarkable how even something as humble as a pitcher painted with watercolors, such an accessible and simple artistic approach can reveal so much about cultural values, individual expression, and lasting symbolism.