Sand Picture c. 1941

This Sand Picture by Paul Poffinbarger is, well, a sand picture made with watercolor on paper. The way the watercolor is handled here is gentle, almost tentative, which really softens the whole thing. Looking at the surface, you can see these delicate, washy layers. The artist isn't trying to hide the process at all; it's all right there in these subtle gradations and soft edges. The color palette is muted, mostly earth tones and pale blues. There’s something about the way the scene is framed within the glass form that gives it a contained, almost dreamlike quality. Check out the little zigzags at the top and bottom, like a playful, decorative touch. It's like Poffinbarger is not just depicting a scene, but also the vessel that holds it. Reminds me a little of Joseph Cornell's boxes, this sense of creating a whole world within a defined space. I love how art can just be this ongoing conversation across time and different forms.