Sugar Dipper c. 1938

This is Annie B. Johnston’s watercolor painting, "Sugar Dipper," and I’m already thinking about the gesture of reaching out for sweetness. I love how she’s handled the surface, letting the colors bleed and blend, building up this sense of depth with the light and shadow. I can imagine her working on it, layering washes of pigment, patiently building up the form. Did she do it from life? Did she hold that dipper in her own hand? What kind of sugar was it for? The handle is so simple, almost austere, compared to the warm, inviting bowl of the dipper. There’s a contrast between the functional and the decorative, the rough and the refined, that makes it so compelling. And in the end, it just works. Johnston's painting reminds me of how we all, as artists, are always in conversation. It's a great thing to remember, that as artists, we’re all connected.