Hammer c. 1937

Gordena Jackson made this drawing of a Hammer with graphite and watercolor on paper. It's not just a picture of a tool, it’s like a meditation on the idea of a tool. There is a kind of precision to the drawing, yet it also has a quiet stillness. The colors are muted, the graphite lines are soft, and the washes of color are applied evenly. I think this calmness makes you consider the hammer with a new kind of attention. The artist paid careful attention to the surface of things. You can almost feel the smooth handle and the weight of the metal head. The other drawing on the page reminds me that art is about process and iteration. That careful, loving rendering makes me think about the tradition of still life painting, like Giorgio Morandi. But Jackson is not arranging bottles, but instead looking at a hammer, something so banal and so real. Art can be found anywhere.