Plate Warmer c. 1936

Suzanne Roy made this drawing of a Plate Warmer, sometime between 1855 and 1995, with graphite and watercolor on paper. There’s a real tenderness in the mark-making. Suzanne's hand is so present as she patiently renders each part, with its curly forms. It's as if drawing itself is a form of care. The washes of color and graphite on the page feel so delicate. You can almost feel the coolness of the metal, it’s like a memory of a touch. The artist seems to relish in the play of light across the object's surface. Note the thinness of the gray outlines that suggest the volume of the object. There's a clarity and precision to this drawing which reminds me of the work of Albrecht Dürer. Like Dürer, Roy revels in the beauty and wonder of everyday objects. Art is such a conversation across time. It's not about definitive answers, but about embracing ambiguity and the richness of multiple views.