Crock c. 1938

Nicholas Amantea made this watercolour painting of a crock, but when? There’s no date, so we’re left to our own devices to imagine the when and why of this particular painting. The marks are delicate, subtle. Was he outside, or inside? What was the light doing? Maybe he was trying to capture the rough texture of the ceramic and the muted, earthy colors. It feels precise, but also a bit dreamy, like a memory. I wonder if he was thinking about folk art traditions, or maybe just enjoying the play of light on a simple object. Maybe he was trying to be Fairfield Porter. There's something deeply satisfying about these quiet, focused observations. It reminds me that painting, at its core, is about seeing and feeling. We can almost feel his hand moving across the page, capturing the humble beauty of this everyday object. Artists are always looking at each other's work, across time, inspiring new thoughts and ways of seeing.