Candle Sticker c. 1940

Frank M. Keane made this watercolor and graphite drawing, titled ‘Candle Sticker’. The drawing floats on the page, rendered in delicate, muted colors that give the metal an organic feel, like it's part of the earth. It reminds me of how painting is like a process of translation. You start with something real, but by the time it hits the paper, it’s something else entirely. Look at the handle, looping around like it's been worn smooth by hands. There's a kind of intimate knowledge in the rendering, like Keane understood not just how this thing looked, but how it felt to hold. The subtlety in the rendering is just beautiful. It brings to mind other artists like Agnes Martin, whose work also finds incredible nuance in a restricted palette. It shows that art is not just about what you depict but about how you see, how you feel, and what you choose to share.