Confessional 1935 - 1942

Majel G. Claflin made this watercolor, Confessional, sometime before 1941. The colors are quiet, mostly muted browns and creams, but then there are these pops of pale blue and red in the decorative details on top. It feels like a stage set, like a memory play. Look at how Claflin renders the wooden panels, each one distinct, with its own subtle shading and grain. I love how she makes the whole thing slightly crooked, as if it’s been standing there for centuries, listening to secrets. And that little, almost floral, pattern of holes cut in the side, what was whispered through there? Claflin's confessional reminds me of the work of Marsden Hartley, with its similar interest in folk art and religious themes. Ultimately, this piece is about the stories we tell ourselves, the things we need to confess, and the spaces, both physical and emotional, where we seek absolution. It's a beautiful reminder that art, like confession, is a process of revealing and understanding.