Hawsing Beetle 1939

This 'Hawsing Beetle' rendering from Orison Daeda feels both matter-of-fact and full of quiet poetry. Just imagine Daeda's process. He probably started by carefully sketching out the basic shapes, maybe squinting to get the proportions just right. Then, he might have laid down thin washes of color, building up the tones slowly, layer by layer. What do you think he might have been thinking while he made it? It reminds me of other artists who find beauty in the mundane, like Giorgio Morandi with his bottles or Agnes Martin with her grids. The physicality of the piece is really something. The way the wood grain is rendered, for example, or the subtle variations in the metal's surface. It’s as if Daeda is inviting us to really look, to appreciate the simple elegance of a well-made tool. It's like he's saying, "Hey, even the most ordinary things can be extraordinary if you take the time to notice."