Goat c. 1938

John W. Kelleher made this painting of a goat, we're not sure when, using watercolor and graphite. The way Kelleher’s painted this goat is so endearing, isn't it? There’s something about the directness of it, the lines defining the animal's form are so clear, almost carved. The surface has this lovely, slightly grainy texture, probably from the paper, giving the whole thing a kind of depth you wouldn’t expect from watercolor. Look closely, and you can almost see the ghost of the graphite lines underneath, like a secret peek into the artist's process. It reminds me of my own painting process, really, building up layers, making marks, and then letting some of them peek through. The little red ear is my favourite touch. It doesn’t quite sit right in the composition, but it really makes the artwork. You can really see that this piece is part of a longer tradition of folk art; it makes me think of the work of Bill Traylor and his cut out animals. Art is a conversation and there's something comforting about seeing these echoes across time.