Teapot with String 2020

Scott Fraser made "Teapot with String" with oil. It’s a meticulously rendered still life with incredible verisimilitude. The reflective surface of the teapot steals the show. It's like a little mirror reflecting the world back at us, but also distorting it, bending reality. The string, tied to a pin, droops and creates a tangible sense of depth. You can almost feel the texture of the rough wood. The paint is applied so smoothly, it's almost invisible as paint, which is a feat, right? Look closely at how Fraser captured the highlights on the teapot, those tiny glimmers of light that make it seem so real. They remind me of the Dutch Masters, those old-school painters who could make anything look like you could reach out and touch it. At the same time, it’s so contemporary. It reminds us that art is always in conversation with itself, borrowing and remixing. It’s about the act of seeing, and all the different ways we can make sense of what's in front of us.