Cast Iron Jockey Hitching Post c. 1938

Frank Gray made this watercolor, "Cast Iron Jockey Hitching Post," sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The colors are muted, not quite drab, but earthy, like something you'd see out in the fields. It's a painting of a sculpture, but it's also a process of seeing. Look at the jockey's green coat. See how the paint sort of clings, defining the folds and curves? It's not blended perfectly, and that's what gives it this charming, almost raw quality. You can almost feel the artist figuring out the form as he goes along. The way Gray handles the texture gives the piece its emotional depth, that little bit of uncertainty in each stroke. It reminds me a bit of Marsden Hartley, that same directness. But this feels different, like a memory or a dream, where things are not quite in focus.