Pa. German Plate 1936

This ‘Pa. German Plate’ was rendered in watercolor by Eugene Shellady. It's got this home-spun, folk art vibe that I find really charming. The colors, ochre, green, and sienna, are muted. The paint is laid down in simple washes, and the lines are casual, a bit wobbly. There’s no real attempt to hide the hand, you know? Like, this isn't about slickness or illusionism. Look at the bird, perched on a leafy sprig. It's got this real, almost awkward grace to it. The whole thing is just so direct, so unpretentious. The border is a sequence of marks, dashes, dots and circles. There’s something in the way the artist has approached the outer rim of the plate, dividing it into segments of almost equal length which make it feel so deliberate. I’m reminded a little of Forrest Bess, who also had this amazing way of making paintings that felt both deeply personal and totally universal. Anyway, it's a reminder that art doesn't have to be perfect to be powerful.