Melodeon c. 1936

Rex F. Bush's watercolor painting captures a melodeon with a delicate touch, its surface alive with subtle tonal variations. You can almost feel Bush feeling his way through this thing. I imagine him, brush in hand, carefully mapping the angles and curves of the instrument. The legs! The way he’s rendered those bulbous legs with a touch of awkwardness and precision—it's almost endearing. I wonder if he struggled to capture their form, or if that slight tension was intentional? There's something so charming about the way this painting exists between representation and abstraction, between observation and imagination. Bush gives us a glimpse into a world seen through his unique lens. It’s the kind of painting that reminds us of the simple pleasure of looking, and the endless possibilities of seeing something new in something familiar. Like a song, always slightly different each time you play it.