Tin Milk Warmer c. 1938

Here's "Tin Milk Warmer," made by Edward L. Loper using watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil. Look at the way the colors seem to blend and bleed, creating a kind of ghostly presence, all thin washes and delicate strokes. It’s all about the process of layering. There's a real tenderness in the way Loper captures the object's worn surfaces. The rusty hues and subtle gradations of tone give it a sense of history. The way the paint is applied, almost like a stain, lets the paper show through, adding to that feeling of lightness. Notice the small door on the side – it's almost like a secret passage, hinting at the stories this object could tell. Loper's work shares a sensibility with that of Giorgio Morandi – both artists saw the extraordinary in the ordinary, elevating humble objects to a level of quiet contemplation. Art is always about seeing something familiar in a new way, isn't it?