Child's High Chair c. 1942

Donald Harding made this watercolor painting of a Child's High Chair. Look at the way the light dances across the wooden frame, each stroke a delicate caress. I wonder, did Harding choose watercolor for its fluidity, its ability to mimic the way light moves and shifts? It’s like he’s trying to capture not just the chair, but the very essence of its being. I can imagine him, hunched over his paper, squinting at the play of shadows, trying to translate the three-dimensional world onto a flat surface. Did he struggle to capture the way the wood grain seems to curve and bend? This simple scene—it speaks to something deeper about the way we perceive and remember. It reminds me that art isn't just about what we see, but how we see it. And it's in that act of seeing that we find connection, not just to the artist, but to each other. It’s a quiet invitation to slow down and really look.