Doll - "Rachel" c. 1941

Hal Blakeley’s watercolor painting depicts a doll called Rachel, a pale figure dressed in a peachy-pink dress. I imagine Blakeley hunched over the paper, carefully layering washes of color, trying to capture the essence of Rachel. Perhaps he was thinking about how the doll represented childhood, innocence, and play. The pink of the dress is soft and comforting, while the delicate lines tracing the decoration show how he really paid attention to the detail. Rachel's dress has puff sleeves and a decorative belt and hem. The texture is smooth, with subtle variations in tone that give it depth. There’s a quietness to the painting, a gentle observation of an object. Hal Blakeley may have been in conversation with other artists interested in everyday life, but the stillness of the doll is unique. Painting, in this case, is a tender expression, a quiet moment of reflection and connection across time.