Individual Container for Indian's Daily Portion of Food c. 1940

Rose Campbell-Gerke made this watercolor drawing of an “Individual Container for Indian's Daily Portion of Food” and, wow, the title alone makes me want to dive right into it! I can imagine her process being one of quiet observation, layering those earthy hues—burnt sienna, copper, and mossy greens—to capture the texture and history embedded in this object. It’s like she’s not just painting a cup but also the story of its use, the hands that held it, and the meals it served. The paint is applied delicately, allowing the paper to breathe, which gives the object a soft, almost dreamlike quality. I'm thinking about how the artist might have seen the underlying abstraction and geometry in the object and wanted to abstract it further. Campbell-Gerke's work reminds us that art is often about seeing and recording the world around us. It's like a visual conversation across time, with each artist adding their own voice and perspective.