Wooden Doll c. 1936

Jane Iverson made this painting of a Wooden Doll with what looks like watercolor on paper. There is something so delicate about watercolors, they never quite sit on the surface. Look at the way Iverson used thin washes of brown and grey to create the form of the doll. You can almost see the hand of the artist in each stroke. There's a tension between the softness of the medium and the solidness of the doll itself. I love the way the little blue and yellow flowers on the dress seem to float on the brown like little memories. Those dabs of colour make the whole thing sing. It reminds me of Florine Stettheimer, another artist who found a way to bring a sense of playfulness and joy to the most unexpected places. Ultimately, this painting feels like a testament to the power of art to transform the ordinary into something magical.