Stoneware Jug c. 1938

Annie B. Johnston made this jug out of watercolor. Isn't it interesting how she’s rendered the jug's surface, almost like tree bark? You can really see the texture and the little imperfections. I wonder if she spent a lot of time with that jug, turning it in her hands, really looking at it, trying to figure out how to capture its essence on paper. It’s like she’s not just painting an object but trying to understand it. That delicate, dotted handle—it's almost like she's inviting us to imagine ourselves picking up the jug, feeling its weight. There's a real intimacy in that gesture. It reminds me of Morandi, you know? He wasn't just painting bottles; he was painting his relationship to those bottles, his way of seeing the world. And it's like Johnston is doing the same thing here, finding something profound in the everyday. It’s all about looking, feeling, and then trying to capture that on the canvas.