Drawer Pulls c. 1936

Janet Riza made this watercolor drawing of drawer pulls, and you can almost feel her bending over the paper. I imagine her hand moving meticulously, trying to capture the way light bounces off the brass. Look at the details, those little flowers etched on the surface! You get a sense of the care and attention she gave to these everyday objects. It's like she's saying, "Even the smallest things can be beautiful if you really see them." The washes of color give depth, and the subtle variations in tone make these pulls look almost three-dimensional. Riza’s process feels like a quiet conversation with the objects themselves, a way of honoring their form and function. I think of other artists who find beauty in the mundane, like Morandi with his bottles. Artists are always inspiring each other across time, aren't they? Riza's drawing is an invitation to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the details.