Pottery Jug c. 1940

Frances Godfrey made this “Pottery Jug” using what looks like watercolor or maybe gouache. The way the tones shift, it's so subtle, like watching colors blend into each other in a dream. The jug sits there, solid but also kind of floating, with 'Samuel A. Shea, 17 Milk St., Boston' printed right on it! It’s the kind of mark-making that feels both precise and tender. Godfrey really got into the nitty-gritty of the jug’s surface. You can almost feel the slight roughness of the pottery, the way the glaze catches the light in some spots and sinks back in others. There's a beautiful dance between the object, its texture, and the light playing on it. It reminds me of the quiet observations in the paintings of Giorgio Morandi, who also spent his days contemplating humble vessels. It’s like Godfrey is saying, "Hey, even this simple thing has a story to tell if you just slow down and look." And that, to me, is what art is all about.