Plate 18: Reading Stand: From Portfolio "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico" 1935 - 1942

This watercolor drawing of a book stand is one of a series illustrating Spanish Colonial designs of New Mexico, and was made by an anonymous artist. The colours are striking; the red pops out and grabs your attention and the black outlines add definition, while the other colours add depth. The design is carefully delineated with bold brush strokes. The use of flat, opaque washes of colour gives the piece a sense of depth and weight. See how the paint has been applied in layers, and the colours bleed into each other a little? It’s like the artist was figuring it out as they went along, which is something I can relate to. Like a lot of folk art, this piece reminds us that art doesn’t have to be about perfect representation. It's more about feeling and the joy of making. I see influences from artists such as Henri Matisse, who used similar colour palettes and bold lines in his work. Ultimately, it's about embracing ambiguity and finding beauty in the unexpected.