-Owl- still bank c. 1930s

This -Owl- still bank was made sometime between 1886 and 1954 by the National Sewing Machine Company, also known as Vindex Toys. Can you imagine the process? Molten metal, poured into a mould, slowly cooling, and then painted. There’s a real weight and substance to that. And look at the texture, the way the paint is worn away, revealing the material beneath. The colours, too, that odd, muted palette of creams and browns. The National Sewing Machine Company was not concerned with accurately depicting nature, the owl has a kind of surreal quality that makes it more alive. Take for example those eyes, bright orange with a dark outline, they are staring right at you, watching you. This object reminds me of work by the painter Forrest Bess. Bess, like the makers of this bank, had his own unique vision and wasn’t trying to please anyone else. Like this owl, Bess was a craftsman with an eye for colour and form. Art is an ongoing conversation, a constant exchange of ideas.