Branding Iron c. 1942

Elizabeth Johnson made this watercolor and graphite drawing of a branding iron, likely from memory. It’s a really interesting image because there are two B’s, one dark and one light, maybe this represents the before and after. I'm trying to imagine Johnson with her materials, carefully mixing her watercolors, layering browns and purples to mimic the look of weathered metal. The choice to depict a branding iron—a tool used to mark ownership—strikes me as potent, especially considering Johnson's life experiences. There's a formal precision in the way she renders the object, like an engineer designing a part. The lines are clean, and the shading is subtle, giving the metal a sense of weight and volume. But then, there’s this trace, like a ghost image, that complicates the picture. It makes me think about how artists, like Johnson, are in conversation, constantly responding to the world around them. The act of painting becomes a way of grappling with history, memory, and identity, leaving marks that invite us to see and feel in new ways.