Glass Bottle c. 1940

Claude Marshall made this drawing of a glass bottle using watercolor and graphite. The image is mostly light blues and creams, very thin washes of colour. I love the casualness of this bottle. Marshall is drawing what's in front of him. It’s like he sees something there, the light hitting it just so, and he thinks, I have to put that down. And because he does, because he takes the time, we also see it. It's a record of his attention. The little design on the front of the bottle is charming too. It looks like a tiny person, standing in a vase, with two leafy branches coming out of their head. I love how it's not quite anything, but it's so full of possibility. It’s a celebration of the everyday. There’s a conversation happening between artists across time. Marshall sees something, he captures it. And we see that, and we see him. It’s like a game of telephone, each person adding their own little twist.