Bridle c. 1938

Cecil Smith rendered this "Bridle" in watercolor, with a real sensitivity to how things are made, and put together. It's like he's inviting us into his studio, not just showing us the finished product, but the nuts and bolts of it too. The color palette is earthy – browns and silvers – mirroring the materials of leather and metal. Smith’s watercolor isn't about hiding the process; you can see the strokes, the layering, almost like he's building the object right in front of you. Look at the way he renders the silver details on the bridle. Each mark seems intentional, almost reverential of the craft itself. It reminds me a bit of Charles Demuth, who also found beauty in the everyday, elevating simple objects through careful observation. Smith’s "Bridle" isn’t just a depiction; it's an homage to the tools and materials that shape our world, a quiet meditation on the art of making.