Toy Iron c. 1939

LeRoy Griffith made this, 'Toy Iron' using what looks like graphite and colored pencil on paper. I can see it coming to life, slowly, patiently, layer by layer. It's more of a meditation than a race, more about feeling the object in your mind's eye, than trying to capture it exactly. You can feel the artist really looking. I bet Griffith noticed the funny details - like how the handle of the iron swoops and curls like a fancy signature. Or how, from the right angle, the iron kind of looks like a bird, ready to take flight. It's the kind of transformation that happens when you spend hours with an object. Painters like Morandi are in there somewhere, quiet observers of everyday objects. It is a tender, careful observation of the ordinary, transforming it into something extraordinary. That’s the magic of painting, isn’t it?