Baby Shoe c. 1937

Mae A. Clarke made this drawing of a baby shoe, we're not sure exactly when, but it's rendered with what looks like a graphite pencil on paper. There's a tenderness here, a kind of quiet observation. I can imagine Clarke, perhaps a relative or family friend, carefully studying the tiny shoe, trying to capture its form and the delicate nature of its construction. The laces of one shoe are undone, while the other shoe is resting on its side. The marks are tentative, almost hesitant, like she’s feeling her way around the object, trying to understand its essence. It reminds me of other artists who have focused on everyday objects, imbuing them with a sense of significance and personal meaning. It also makes me think about the tradition of drawing as a way of learning, of really seeing something. Drawing invites close looking, like a kind of meditation. I’m sure Clarke wasn’t necessarily thinking of herself as an artist, but she shares the same creative impulse.