Wooden Sugar Bowl c. 1936

Curator: Well, this is quaint! My first impression is a sort of antique sepia photograph. Like one of those grandma’s treasures in the attic, all fuzzy memories. Editor: Indeed! This lovely piece, a watercolour and pencil drawing called "Wooden Sugar Bowl," comes to us from Edward L. Loper, around 1936. There’s something so elemental and honest in his choice of such an everyday object. Curator: An honest sweetness, even. It's strange, but this little sugar bowl evokes such potent domesticity, the ritual of tea. I feel myself longing for a quieter time when people had little things they enjoyed just because. Editor: That conical lid hints at the shelter of home; a universal symbol of protection. Think of the conical hats of some religious figures, the huts in fairytales – protection of its valuable contents within! Curator: Hmmm, that conical lid also reminds me of a miniature circus tent. It looks ready to spring to life, perhaps holding not just sugar but secret ambitions. Perhaps sugar is itself an illusion, a craving for something grander... a bit theatrical? Editor: Perhaps Edward Loper wants us to contemplate the magic found within humble containers, the way memory sweetens the ordinary, not to mention sugar having quite a rich trade history tied into colonial exploitations! Curator: Very well said! It appears humble, almost plain, yet your insights suggest its resonance comes not just from itself but from its context, cultural load... Like poetry lurking inside simple items. That makes the entire world into an extended self portrait then... Editor: Exactly. I would suggest we let viewers consider both the sweetness, the bitter-sweetness that this image quietly offers... The world we are really invited to enter here is as simple as morning light and sweet as coffee cake.