Home Savings bank c. 1940

William O. Fletcher made this watercolor and graphite drawing of a ‘Home Savings Bank.’ I like to think about Fletcher, sitting with his paints and brushes, carefully observing this little metal bank. It must have been hard to capture the exact shades of brown and gold, the way the light hits those tiny windows. Did he squint a lot? Did he have to mix the colors just so, adding a little more yellow, a little less? I wonder if he thought about saving money while he painted. The kind of patience it takes to save, and the kind it takes to make art, they aren't so different. Look at how he rendered each brick on the roof, each line on the windows! That's dedication. It's a quiet, humble kind of work, but it speaks volumes. There’s something beautiful about taking the time to really see an ordinary object, isn’t it? Fletcher helps us appreciate the simple things, like a little bank that holds our dreams of a secure future.