Fan c. 1937

This is Ann Gene Buckley’s watercolour called Fan. The way Buckley approaches the watercolour is pretty direct, with visible brushstrokes, and a somewhat restrained colour palette – the fan itself is depicted in dark greys and browns, which gives it a grounded, almost sombre quality, but then there is the addition of pink flowers, a gentle contrast, a touch of delicacy. I am drawn to the area where the flowers meet the dark wood – a kind of conversation between the organic and the manmade. I think about how the texture of the paper catches the pigment, how the colour is absorbed and reflected, making it almost glow. This to me is the beauty of artmaking – the way the artist responds to the medium and allows the material to speak. Buckley reminds me of Florine Stettheimer, who also embraced a kind of personal, intimate vision in her art. These artists are confident enough to trust their own instincts and create works that resonate with a unique, individual sensibility. Art is about embracing ambiguity, after all.