Boy's Hat c. 1936

Mary E. Humes made this watercolor and graphite drawing of a Boy's Hat. It's a simple composition, but it's full of information, isn’t it? I can imagine Humes carefully building up layers of delicate washes, each stroke adding depth and form to the image. I wonder what she was thinking about as she rendered the soft textures of the straw and the intricate details of the ribbon? Maybe she was picturing a specific boy in her mind, one who might actually wear this very hat! The drawing style here reminds me of fashion plates and illustrations. Humes is interested in the object, showing us a back view in the small top right rendering. This makes me think of other artist friends who obsessively revisit the same motifs, like Philip Guston and his shoes, because sometimes it's in the everyday objects that we discover the biggest creative possibilities. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time. And art, like life, is an ongoing exchange, right? It is all inspiration and creativity.