Stewart House c. 1936

Gladys Cook made this drawing, Stewart House, with gentle strokes of watercolor, as an act of remembering a place in time. I imagine Cook outside, squinting in the sun and carefully making her marks, mixing the hues of the sky and trees. This is a painting of place, but also memory and feeling. Look how she outlines the house and gate with fine lines. The washes of color are thin and light, creating an airy feeling, especially in the puffy foliage that almost obscures the house. You can see her hand at work, making soft marks to communicate depth, volume and texture. I see a connection with other artists who are drawn to domestic spaces – Fairfield Porter, for one, who used painting to think about the self and relationships. The history of art is a big conversation between artists, responding to and playing with what came before, each adding their own perspective. Cook gives us hers: a little bit whimsical, quiet, and personal. Painting houses isn’t really about the house itself, but what they mean to us.