Cake Batter Mixer c. 1939

Ray Price made this painting, Cake Batter Mixer, using watercolor on paper. The way Price paints is so matter of fact, with his slightly rusty palette, it’s like he is saying, this is it, this is all you need to know. It’s so lovingly rendered, the way he captures the light playing across the gears and the handles. It makes you wonder, what’s the story here? Is this a portrait of an object, a memory of home, or something else entirely? Look at how the watercolor thins out in places, letting the paper breathe, then becomes denser, describing the weight of the metal. You can almost feel the grease and flour of cake-making through the ages. I am reminded of the paintings of everyday objects by Giorgio Morandi. Price, like Morandi, prompts us to think about the stories objects can tell, and how art can be a meditation on the things we often overlook. It’s a reminder that meaning isn’t fixed, and that art is about opening up possibilities rather than closing them down.