Candle Snuffer c. 1939

Lee Brown made this drawing of a candle snuffer with graphite on paper. It’s so delicate and precise, you can almost feel the cool metal in your hand. I imagine Lee sitting in a quiet room, perhaps by the very candlelight the snuffer was designed for. There's something so intimate about depicting an object like this, it speaks to a slower pace of life, one where even the extinguishing of a flame is a moment worthy of contemplation. The texture of the paper and the subtle shading bring the snuffer to life. The tool almost floats on the page, casting its own soft shadow. It's amazing how a simple drawing can evoke so much. You can really see the work of other artists in this drawing – the precision of Dürer or the everyday focus of Morandi. It's a quiet conversation across time.