Crock c. 1937

Yolande Delasser painted this earthenware pot in watercolor, carefully building up a tonal range of browns, grays, and subtle blues. I can almost feel Delasser’s focus as she rendered the gradations on the pot. You can see the trace of the graphite lines underneath, little bits of drawing, and I imagine her trying to get the lettering just right. It's a patient act of observation, trying to understand and capture the essence of an everyday object. The blue fern on the side is such a strong mark, it's almost like a signature, a little burst of life and color. The form is full but not precious. It's got that folk art quality of not being overly refined, and that's what I like. Delasser reminds me of artists like Marsden Hartley or Milton Avery, who saw the extraordinary in the ordinary, and weren’t afraid to embrace simplicity. They all understood the power of reduction, and it's a lesson for all of us painters.