Glass Bottle c. 1939

LeRoy Griffith drew this glass bottle with pencil and watercolour, and what strikes me is the layering of soft washes to build up the form. It's a process of repeated actions, each mark delicate, but together they give a convincing sense of depth and volume. There's a gentle, almost translucent quality to the watercolour that mirrors the glass itself. The colour is subtle, a pale green that hints at the bottle's material. The way Griffith has rendered the eagle emblem is interesting. It's there, but it's faint, almost like a ghost on the surface. I think this captures how symbols operate: they're present, but their meaning can be elusive. It's a quiet kind of observation, the bottle made extraordinary through the act of drawing. It puts me in mind of Giorgio Morandi, who also found endless inspiration in humble, everyday objects. Like Morandi, Griffith shows us how much there is to see if we just take the time to really look.