Bride Box 1935 - 1942

Elmer Kottcamp made this watercolor painting of a bride box sometime in the twentieth century. Looking at the green washes, you can almost feel the artist working to bring out the wood grain beneath, letting the material itself become part of the image. It's like Kottcamp is in conversation with the box, figuring out what it wants to be. I can imagine him thinking about the wedding, what the couple might be like, maybe even dreaming up stories for them. The way he's painted their clothes, so flat and stylized, reminds me of folk art, where things aren't necessarily realistic but full of feeling. Take that little red line suggesting a horizon, for example. It's not just a line; it's a whole world of hopes and dreams. And those flowers and shells—they’re not just decorations, they’re wishes for a good life. It reminds you that painting is never just about what you see; it's about what you feel, what you imagine. Painters are always looking at each other’s work, stealing ideas, and pushing things forward in their own way.