Reel 1935 - 1942

Florence Truelson made "Reel" with what looks like graphite and watercolor. What a curious and precise way to depict a utilitarian object! I can imagine Truelson carefully observing the object, studying its form, shadows, and the way light reflects off its surface. She's taken a machine and made it almost floral, like a weird mechanical flower. The green she uses has a curious depth, she is really looking! Thinking about the kind of focused attention required to render each component with such accuracy is interesting to me. Truelson’s work reminds me of other artists who blur the lines between representation and abstraction, each bringing their own perspective and contributing to the ongoing dialogue of mark making and observation that makes painting so compelling.