Covered Jar c. 1940

Here's an audio guide script for John Collin's "Covered Jar." John Collins painted this jar with what looks like watercolor on paper; the jar has a kind of wabi-sabi look, with an unpretentious shape and a streaky brown glaze that reminds me of stoneware. The brushwork is pretty quiet, but it gives it a humble, wonky charm. I imagine Collins, in his studio, carefully observing the play of light on the jar's surface. What was he thinking as he painted? Did he choose this ordinary object for its simplicity or perhaps for its connection to daily life? I love the brown glaze— it creates an understated beauty that resonates with a sense of lived experience. It makes me think of other still-life painters, like Giorgio Morandi, who found endless inspiration in the mundane. Artists are always borrowing and riffing off each other, even across generations. It’s about seeing the world through your own eyes and making something new. It shows how painting can make us slow down and really notice the beauty in the everyday.