Locket c. 1937

This is John H. Tercuzzi’s watercolour and graphite ‘Locket’, with a color palette of mainly gold and ivory. I imagine Tercuzzi hunched over a table, maybe in natural light, meticulously rendering this object. You know, the challenge of painting something like this, is that it's a study in precision. What’s so cool is how the artist is figuring out how to make a two-dimensional surface feel like a three-dimensional object. Look at the way Tercuzzi suggests the sheen and shadow of the metal! And I love that he chose to paint a locket. It's such an intimate object, like a tiny vessel for secrets and memories. It's a meditation on keeping things safe. Tercuzzi's work reminds us that the act of painting can be a way of preserving, remembering, and deeply engaging with the world around us. Just like that locket!