Trinket Box 1939

Marie Famularo made this watercolour, Trinket Box, sometime in the middle of the 20th century. It's a beautifully rendered image. I love the way she builds up these layers of green and how the texture of the paper peeks through. The way the green is applied reminds me of folk art. See how the strokes follow the form of the box, creating a subtle sense of depth and volume. Then you've got the naive rendering of the flowers; look how the artist has added these little, slightly wonky, details that give it a handmade feel. There is a real love for the object that comes through. It reminds me of the work of Bill Traylor, another artist who was interested in depicting everyday scenes and objects with a kind of directness and simplicity. Ultimately this is about the act of seeing and representing the world around us in a way that feels both personal and universal. Art is always a conversation across time, an ongoing exploration of form, color, and the human experience.