Spokeshave 1938

Herman O. Stroh made this watercolor painting of a spokeshave, and looking at it, I’m thinking about how the simplest objects can become profound when you really pay attention. I imagine Stroh, squinting, carefully mixing the right hues to capture the wood’s grain and metallic sheen. It’s not just about rendering what’s there, but about feeling it. You can tell he has thought long and hard about every tiny little detail. The light washes of color he uses reminds me of other painters, like Fairfield Porter, who found such depth in the everyday. It seems like Stroh’s inviting us to slow down and see the beauty in the mundane, much like a craftsman appreciates the tools of their trade. Artists, like craftsmen, have to know and understand their tools, and they are in constant conversation and exchange of ideas across time. They inspire one another, using their own creative processes to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty.