Bowl 1937

This is an intriguing watercolour on paper called "Bowl" by J. Howard Iams. Look at how the artist's hand has worked—the pale hues, the cracked rim, the somewhat faded red floral pattern, the turquoise jewel. I can imagine Iams studying the object, a humble bowl, trying to get every detail right. I’m touched by his careful attention. He might have had an emotional connection with the object or he was probably just trying to record it as accurately as possible. The bowl itself is nothing fancy, and yet, through the act of painting, it becomes something special. Painters are always in conversation, aren't they? Each brushstroke, each choice of color, is a response to what has come before. The physicality of the medium—the texture, the flow, the way the colors blend—all of that speaks to an embodied way of seeing and feeling. It reminds me of other artists who find the extraordinary in the ordinary.