Camphor Lamp c. 1940

LeRoy Griffith made this drawing of a Camphor Lamp. The mark-making here feels really considered, like a slow meditation, each stroke building up to describe the form. I love the way the pencil creates this gentle, diffused light. The surface has a beautiful texture, not trying to trick us into thinking it's a real lamp, but instead reminding us that it's a drawing. Look at the base of the lamp, see how Griffith uses these tiny, repeated lines to build up the shadows and give the lamp its weight. The color palette is understated, mostly muted grays and browns, which gives the piece a quiet, contemplative mood. It's like he's not just drawing a lamp, but also capturing a feeling, a memory, or maybe even a dream. This piece reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings, in the sense that both artists find something profound in the everyday. Art isn’t about answers, but about the questions it provokes, the feelings it stirs, and the conversations it starts.