Chalkware Bird c. 1940

Here's an image of a Chalkware Bird by J. Herman McCollum. I'm so curious about the way McCollum built up the form. It’s so physical. You can almost feel the pressure of the hand shaping the chalk, coaxing it into this simplified yet endearing avian form. The muted palette of ochre, green, and red feels like a memory of colour, a gentle echo of the vibrant bird it represents. I wonder what McCollum was thinking as he smoothed the chalk, as he gave the bird its defining curve? Perhaps he was remembering a flash of colour in the garden, a fleeting glimpse of a bird in flight. There's something so humble and direct about the way McCollum worked, reminding us of the simple pleasure of making, that we're all connected in this ongoing process of creative expression.