Press c. 1937

William O. Fletcher made this watercolor painting of a press; it’s all about the layers and how they interact. Look at the textures Fletcher coaxes out of the watercolor. There’s a transparency that lets the light bounce through, but then he builds up these concentrated areas, like around the frame of the press, where the color deepens into something almost earthy. You can see the hand of the artist, the delicate dance between control and letting the water do its thing. It’s as though Fletcher isn't just painting a press, but also the memory of using it. I’m thinking about Giorgio Morandi, who also found endless fascination in the quiet dignity of everyday objects. Like Morandi, Fletcher shows us how much there is to see, to feel, in the simplest of forms. Art is always this conversation across time, each artist adding their own layer to the story.