Silver Salt Trencher c. 1939

This drawing of a "Silver Salt Trencher" was made by Kalamian Walton using what looks like graphite on paper. It’s really quite lovely. It’s like Walton is gently coaxing the form out of the paper. You can see the patience in each stroke, building up the tonal range to create the illusion of reflective silver. The way they’ve rendered the fluted rim suggests a kind of tender, repetitive motion. I feel like it’s a very tactile drawing - I can almost feel the cool metal. I wonder what Walton was thinking while making this? Were they contemplating the object's utility, its place in the world, or simply enjoying the act of close observation and the challenge of translating three dimensions into two? Maybe they were thinking about historical precedents, or the works of other draughtsmen? It reminds me of the drawings of Vija Celmins - the way she can make the ordinary seem extraordinary through careful attention. Artists are always in conversation with each other, you know, across time and space. Sharing ideas, inspiring new ways of seeing.