Card Tray 1936

Florence Stevenson made this drawing of a card tray, with what looks like graphite on paper. I’m always struck by how drawings let you see the process so clearly. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the page. Here, look at the way Stevenson uses light and shadow to give the metal its sheen. See how the tones are built up slowly, with these tiny little strokes, especially in the bowl. There is a real stillness in this drawing. It reminds me a bit of Morandi, who also spent his life drawing and painting humble, everyday objects. Both Stevenson and Morandi invite us to slow down, to really look at the world around us, and to find beauty in the ordinary. It’s like they’re saying, hey, even a card tray can be a portal to another way of seeing.