Jar c. 1937

This drawing of a jar by Yolande Delasser is...well, it's modest, right? It's a study, a design—blue on off-white paper. I can see Delasser feeling her way around the shape of that jar, figuring out how the decoration sits on its surface. I sympathize with artists who work with useful things, like jars, trying to make them pretty as well as functional. The indigo flower she's drawn is playful, almost goofy, but it’s got a real exuberance. The paint looks thin, like watercolor, and the lines are sure but casual. I’m imagining her in her studio, trying out different motifs, thinking about the tradition of decorated pottery, maybe glancing at a shelf full of jars. Maybe she’s thinking about folk art, and how to bring that unpretentious spirit into her work. It’s like she’s having a conversation with all the potters who came before her. Each mark, each choice, is part of that exchange. It’s a generous kind of art-making, where beauty and utility meet.