Toy Bank c. 1937

Beverly Chichester made this watercolor of a ‘Toy Bank’ at an unknown date; it's a real record of an object, and a tender take on it, too. The browns and golds feel lived-in and comforting. Look at the texture Chichester coaxes out of the paint. It is thinly applied in layers, yet evokes the tactile quality of the bank itself. The metallic sheen of the toy almost shimmers. I like how the light glances off the monkey’s helmet. It is a focal point, drawing our eye right to the heart of the composition. The muted palette is like a memory, hazy but full of affection. Chichester's painting reminds me of the work of Joseph Cornell, with his shadow boxes filled with found objects. Both artists transform everyday items into things that speak volumes about childhood, nostalgia, and the stories objects can tell. The beauty of art lies in its ability to make us see the world anew. We don’t always need the full story to know how something feels.