Baby Shoe c. 1937

Ada V. May made this watercolour of a baby shoe, and you can feel the care and attention she brought to it. You can see the delicate lines, the soft washes of grey and brown, and the way she captured the shape and texture of the little boot. I can imagine Ada gently layering the paint, building up the colours and shadows, and adding the details like the laces and the decorative stitching. Maybe she was thinking about a child she knew, or perhaps remembering her own childhood. That soft brown colour, it’s so quiet and gentle, like the feeling of a memory. It reminds me of the way we hold onto things that are precious to us, how we imbue them with meaning and emotion. It's like she's inviting us to share in a quiet moment of reflection, contemplating the simple beauty of everyday objects. And it’s a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places.