Puppet - "Simon Legree" c. 1939

Hilda Olson made this watercolour drawing of a puppet, Simon Legree, sometime in the 20th century, maybe even the late 1900s. I can imagine Olson carefully mixing her colours, building up those pale washes for the skin tones, that mustard yellow for the bow-tie. She's really studied the drape of the clothes, and even added the strings that make him move. The character's clothes are what I find interesting. The checkered pants really makes him look like a villain. I wonder if Hilda was interested in puppetry or was drawing inspiration from children's books. Artists like Olson have a lot to teach us about the magic of everyday objects, and how painting helps us notice things we might otherwise miss. It's an ongoing conversation, this painting thing, across time, and we're all invited to join in.