Butter Mold c. 1938

This drawing is of a butter mold, by Roy Weber. The drawing has a very process-oriented feel to it, like a diagram or a study rather than a polished picture. The color palette is all browns and beiges, which gives the drawing a kind of earthy, rustic quality. I like the way that it emphasizes the materiality of the wood itself. You can almost feel the texture of the carved wood. The texture looks smooth, but if you look closely, you can see the tiny lines and marks made by the artist's hand. It’s a very physical process, and you can sense that in the drawing. The way the rooster’s plumage is suggested by these simple, curving lines seems so expressive. It reminds me of how folk art often embraces simplicity and directness, focusing on the essential forms rather than getting bogged down in details. The drawing reminds me a little of some of the early American folk art I’ve seen. Like other folk artists, Weber really speaks to the idea of art as an ongoing conversation, where ideas and forms are passed down and reinterpreted across generations.