Pin Tray c. 1939

Helen Hobart made this pencil drawing, Pin Tray, on paper, and wow, there is something so cool about the way she sees this humble object. I can imagine Helen, pencil in hand, carefully observing the light as it hits the rooster's form. The marks are so methodical. Almost meditative. I bet she was really focused. You can almost feel the texture of the metal through her pencil strokes. She wasn't trying to trick us into thinking the drawing was the rooster, but she was really tuned into something that made the rooster itself come alive. The loops of dark pencil that create the tail feathers almost turn it into an abstract pattern. And I love the light touch, which makes the rooster almost float off the page. It is like she is saying, "Hey, even everyday objects have their own kind of beauty". It's a reminder that artists can find inspiration in the most unexpected places, and that's what keeps the conversation going.