Galloping Horse Weather Vane c. 1937

This watercolor by Chris Makrenos captures the image of a galloping horse weather vane, stretching nearly 20 inches across the page. Just imagine Chris, back in the day, sketching this with watercolor, trying to capture its dynamic energy. He's really nailed the tension and movement of the horse. You can almost see the wind whipping through its mane, right? What was he thinking as he painted it? Was he trying to capture the essence of freedom, or maybe just the beauty of a well-crafted object? It's funny how a simple object like a weather vane can tell us so much about our relationship to nature and our desire to chart our place within it. Makrenos isn't just copying; he's reinterpreting, turning a functional object into something rich with symbolism and emotion. It reminds me of some folk art I've seen – a raw kind of beauty. Ultimately, art is an ongoing dialogue; artists build upon each other's visions, remixing ideas across time and space.