Crimping Wheel c. 1939

John Wilkes made this intriguing study of crimping wheels sometime between 1600 and 1700. The image is very light, with a kind of pale wash. It makes me think, what was he thinking about these objects? These crimping wheels, each unique, are not just tools but little sculptures. Each is an invention, a solution. Look at the variations in the handles—some are simple, and utilitarian. Others are more elaborate, more ornamental. I wonder if Wilkes felt a sense of kinship with the craftspeople who designed these tools. Did he see in them a similar impulse to create, to solve problems with ingenuity and skill? And now, someone else decided to capture them on paper for further study. Painting, like tool-making, is about problem-solving, about finding the right form and color to express an idea. It’s a conversation across time, and across disciplines.