Food Chopper 1939

Clarence Secor made this watercolor of a food chopper in 1939. I love the humility of this object, elevated to the status of fine art. It's such a quiet subversion. The palette here is really subdued, almost monochrome, with earthy browns and grays. Secor’s process feels so direct, honest. Look at the blade – the way the light catches on the metal, the little imperfections and rust spots. It’s all there, rendered with such care. You can almost feel the weight of the tool, the worn texture of the wooden handle. This isn’t about flashy technique, it's about seeing the beauty in the everyday, in the tools that shape our lives. It reminds me of those Shaker designs, where form follows function. Secor shares this interest in the kind of utopian beauty that comes from the simplest forms. It's like he's saying, "Look, even this humble object has a story to tell."