Spade Bit c. 1939

Rose Campbell-Gerke made this drawing of a ‘Spade Bit’ sometime in the 20th century, we don't know when. It’s a drawing, but the layering of colours has an almost watercolour feel, like washes over a very precise line drawing. Look how the artist has rendered the textures of the metal. There's the dull, almost furry brown of the aged metal on the left, against the shiny, smooth pearl-like texture on the right. The drawing is so detailed, yet also so flat – almost like a technical drawing. I love the way she uses line and colour to give us a sense of the object's weight and form. Take a look at the dark lines around the edges, anchoring the object in space, whilst the shading of the metalwork gives us a sense of its three-dimensionality. It reminds me a little of those early botanical drawings, where the artist is trying to capture every detail of a plant or flower. There's a similar kind of reverence here, a sense of wonder at the beauty and complexity of the object. It seems that she invites us to appreciate the beauty in the mundane, the art in the everyday.