Wooden Indian c. 1937

William Kerby made this watercolour painting of a ‘Wooden Indian’ sometime in the 20th century. There's a sweetness to this piece; it is very illustrative, reminding me a little of Arthur Rackham. The even washes of colour feel like a very particular choice, a way of describing the flatness of the original object perhaps. The thinness of the paint makes me think about the history of watercolour as a medium for studies, a way of gathering visual information. I love the way the orange and green sing out against the ground of the paper. The fuzzy texture of the base gives this figure a lightness, as if she’s floating. I'm reminded of Milton Avery, with the pared back simplified rendering of form and attention to hue. There’s a certain ambiguity to this image, hovering between description and something more dreamlike. Ultimately, like all good art, it leaves space for us to bring our own experiences and interpretations.