Candle Mold c. 1936

Hugh Clarke made this drawing of a Candle Mold with what looks like watercolor and graphite. What strikes me is its stillness. The simple forms, rendered with such care and precision, invite a quiet contemplation. You can see a lot of gentle hatching, with close parallel lines which build up the shadows. The way the wood grain is depicted, with these delicate brown lines, makes me think about process. Each mark is a decision, a small act of translation from the real object to the page. It reminds me that artmaking is not just about the final image, but about the journey, the slow accumulation of choices. I wonder what it was like for Clarke, sitting with this object, observing it so closely. There's a kind of love in that act of looking, a desire to understand and capture the essence of something. It's not unlike the still life paintings of Giorgio Morandi, which share a similar sense of quiet observation. Ultimately, this drawing is a testament to the power of art to transform the ordinary into something extraordinary.