Figurehead: Naval Officer 1935 - 1942

Rosamond P. Gray made this watercolor painting of a naval officer, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century; she used light washes and delicate touches to capture this sculpted bust. I wonder if Gray ever felt like she was carving with her brush? I like to imagine her carefully laying down each stroke, almost like she was a sculptor chiseling away at stone. The light blues and grays give the figure a ghostly presence. And those little gold details, I think, bring a quiet opulence to the piece. Gray's painting makes me think about American folk art, and how it often captures a certain handmade, heartfelt quality. There’s something so direct and honest in her approach, as if she's whispering, "Look, here's what I see, what do you think?" Painters borrow from each other all the time, and it’s so moving to consider how we all contribute to this ongoing visual conversation. Painting at its best is a way of exploring the world, one brushstroke at a time.