Foot Warmer 1938

This is Marie Famularo's watercolor of a foot warmer. Look at the surface, that pale ground. It feels like she’s not trying to trick us into thinking it is real. It’s a painting of a thing. I am thinking about her, living between 1901 and 1975, making this lovely painting. I can imagine her interest in this particular object: the way she renders the light, catching on the metal and the wood. The tiny, careful marks that build up to create tone and volume. I bet she enjoyed observing the simple utilitarianism of the object. The little door, slightly ajar, feels so inviting. It's almost as if she wants us to imagine the warmth it once provided, maybe hoping it might spark a memory of our own. It’s a humble subject, treated with such care. It reminds me that painting, in its own quiet way, keeps the conversation going across time. It reminds us to look closely and to value the everyday.