Pitcher c. 1936

Yolande Delasser, who lived a long life spanning two centuries, made this drawing of a pitcher sometime within her lifetime using colored pencil. I can only imagine Yolande, carefully layering one thin stroke over another, building up the cylindrical form of the pitcher. It must have taken patience and a certain love to render the subtle gradations of the wood’s color, from the warmer yellows to the cooler browns. I’m thinking she probably noticed how light wraps around objects and how shadows give them weight. See how the simple metal band around the base anchors the pitcher, while the dark interior suggests depth and mystery. It reminds me a little of Morandi and his quiet, meditative still lifes. You know, painting and drawing, it’s like a conversation across time, artists responding to what came before, each adding their voice. Yolande's pitcher is a humble object, but rendered with such care, it becomes a vessel for something more, don’t you think?