Grease Lamp c. 1939

Sarkis Erganian made this Grease Lamp with watercolour washes. It's like a study in brown, with warm and cool tones, and that gentle shadowing. I’m thinking about the artist making this, getting caught up in the process of laying down the washes, watching the form emerge. He or she begins with loose strokes, then gradually defines the shape of the lamp, responding to the way the paint moves. The whole thing glows with an inner light, like a memory. It makes you wonder what this lamp meant to the artist. Was it something they saw every day, or was it a precious object? And how does the act of painting it transform the ordinary into something special? Painting is this ongoing conversation, right? Artists look at each other's work, borrow ideas, and push things in new directions. It’s a form of embodied expression, which embraces ambiguity. We don't need to pin down one single meaning. The real fun is in letting your mind wander.