Chest of Drawers 1936

Florence Choate made this watercolor painting of a Chest of Drawers, we don't know exactly when. The whole image has a soft glow about it. The colors are quiet, mostly browns and tans, like an antique photograph. You can almost smell the wood polish! The brushwork is so gentle, you can barely see the marks. It’s all about capturing the light on the wood. The highlights and shadows on the carved details are what make this image so tactile. I keep coming back to the legs of the chest, those tiny carved lion's feet give the piece such character. It reminds me of a painting by Fairfield Porter, the way he captured everyday scenes with a sort of casual intimacy. Like Porter, Choate finds beauty in the ordinary, in the things we live with. Art is just that, observing the beauty that surrounds us.