Cigar Store Indian 1935 - 1942

This watercolor painting of a Cigar Store Indian has a lovely kind of flatness that seems to come from a place of love. It’s anonymous, so we can't know when it was made, but the palette of muted browns, grays, and pale peach feels kind of old school, like maybe it’s been kicking around a dusty antique store. I'm really drawn to the way the artist handles the surface here. The colors are laid down in these even washes, but there's a softness to the edges, a kind of blending that makes the whole thing feel a little dreamy. And those little details, like the fringe on the cloak and the feathers on the headdress, they're not hyper-realistic, but they have this charming quality that makes you want to look closer. It reminds me a little of some of Red Grooms' early paintings, that same kind of quirky, off-kilter charm. And that’s what's so great about art, right? It's not about getting everything perfect, it's about finding your own voice, your own way of seeing the world.