Vessel 1935 - 1942

Mary Berner made this drawing of a vessel, with pencil and colored pencil, sometime in the 20th century. The shading gives the vessel a 3-D effect on the page, like a real pot sitting on a table. The pencil marks are soft and hazy, smudged in a way that gives form and depth. Imagine Berner, her hand moving gently across the page, building up these layers. The details on the pot itself are really interesting: geometric patterns and tiny figures suggesting a narrative. I wonder what stories it could tell? And then, that little pop of purple inside the vessel - where does it come from? I think about how the material of the vessel meets the skill of the artist. Berner, through her drawing, engages in a conversation with the object, honoring its form and its history.