Copper Candy Ladle c. 1938

Frank McEntee made this "Copper Candy Ladle" sometime between 1855 and 1995 in what looks like watercolor. I think of the repetitive motions of dipping a brush in water, mixing the colors, applying the pigment… it all seems meditative. I can imagine McEntee here, carefully observing the subtleties of light as it hits the curves of the copper. The way the copper warms and cools as it catches the light is mesmerizing. The blue end on the handle feels like a little wink, a moment of abstraction in the midst of representation. You know, painting objects like this is really about seeing the underlying forms, simplifying what’s in front of you into basic shapes and tones. This drawing reminds me a bit of Giorgio Morandi’s still lifes, the way he managed to find endless variations within a limited range of colors. It also makes me want candy.