Eagle with Cannon c. 1939

Hazel Hyde made this watercolour, "Eagle with Cannon," using delicate and precise brushstrokes to achieve a striking metallic effect. I can imagine her carefully layering the paint, adding depth and dimension to each feather and contour, building up the image bit by bit. I wonder what she might have been thinking about. The eagle, fierce and proud, is perched atop a cannon, a strange juxtaposition of nature and war. It makes me consider her own response to power, conflict, and the symbols we use to represent them. The surface is smooth, with no visible texture, allowing the light to reflect evenly and enhance the illusion of metal. I am drawn to the way she rendered the eagle’s feathers, each one meticulously defined to suggest texture and volume. What could be more American? You can see echoes of artists like John James Audubon, yet Hyde brings her distinct vision to this classic subject matter. It shows how artists are always building on the past, reinterpreting and reinventing. It invites you to linger, to question, and to see beyond the surface.