-Lucie Attwell's Bicky House- still bank c. 1930s

William Crawford & Sons made this -Lucie Attwell's Bicky House- still bank, sometime, somewhere, using printed metal. The colors are cheerful but muted, like a well-loved nursery rhyme, and there's a charming awkwardness to the drawing, the shapes not quite lining up, the perspective a little wonky. It’s a reminder that artmaking is a process, full of happy accidents and unexpected turns. I find myself drawn to the little black cat, its silhouette a perfect counterpoint to the soft pastels of the house. There's a playful simplicity to it, a directness that speaks to the essence of childhood imagination. It's like someone took a piece of tin and made a world. This reminds me of some of the folk art I've seen, where the materials themselves seem to dictate the form. Just like how Elizabeth Murray transformed everyday objects into mind-bending paintings, this piece embraces ambiguity. It’s not about perfection; it’s about the joy of making and the stories we tell ourselves along the way.