Large Trunk c. 1940

Edward Loper's watercolour, 'Large Trunk', is a fascinating depiction of, well, a large trunk! What strikes me is Loper’s commitment to process, visible in the layering of washes that give the trunk its depth and texture. Look closely and you'll notice how Loper uses thin, transparent layers of brown and black to build up the worn leather, the tarnished metal, and the aged wood. The way the light catches the trunk, particularly on the rounded top, tells us so much about the object, but also about the artist's understanding of form and surface. See the details on the straps and buckles. Each mark feels deliberate, contributing to a sense of the object's history. There’s a quiet nod here to artists like Giorgio Morandi, who found endless inspiration in the simplest of forms. Loper invites us to find beauty and meaning in the everyday, in the objects that carry our stories.