Silver Bowl c. 1936

Lon Cronk’s *Silver Bowl* is a watercolor work, and it feels very internal, meditative even. I wonder what Lon was thinking when they made it. It feels like they worked with thin washes of gray and white, with just a hint of shadow to give the bowl its form. The careful attention to gradients of tone… the gradual transitions from light to dark… it makes me think about how the artist was thinking very carefully about edges. The bowl is a simple, functional object. The painting, on the other hand, offers a space for reflection. What I mean is, Cronk is showing us how to really see the bowl; the shadows playing across its surface, the light reflecting on its curves. What could it hold? Maybe this is Cronk paying homage to the vessel and giving it a chance to shine.