Silver Pitcher c. 1937

D. Brandfield made this rendering of a silver pitcher on paper. The pitcher appears in the center, with a light sketch in the bottom corner, and their personal mark—a fancy “B”—to the side. I wonder about the artist as they worked through this. I can imagine them working from life in a natural light to give the pitcher a pearly glow. What do you think they were thinking about as they carefully rendered each curve and edge? It looks like they took a lot of care around the rim of the pitcher, using light and shadow to create form. It reminds me of other artists who work with silverpoint—a technique of drawing with a silver rod on specially prepared paper that creates the most delicate marks. This drawing is a rendering of a metal object, which can be difficult to render, like a still life but so much more! There’s an exchange happening when we draw something from real life. As painters, we are always in conversation with one another.