Pole Screen and Candlestand c. 1936

Elizabeth Curtis made this watercolour and graphite ‘Pole Screen and Candlestand’ sometime in her lifetime, which spanned from the mid 1800s to the late 1900s. It’s such a tender rendering, isn’t it? Look at how Curtis uses a limited palette – mostly browns, tans, and golds – to create a sense of warmth and depth. The way she layers the watercolour washes, building up the tones to give the wood its luster, tells me Curtis was really engaged with the slow, meditative process of painting. I love how the lines aren't perfectly straight, giving the whole piece a kind of charming wobble. It’s as if the object itself is breathing. And that oval screen? The way she’s captured the wood grain with those delicate strokes makes it look like a living thing, pulsing with its own energy. Curtis’s work reminds me of the Shaker artists, who also found beauty in the everyday and expressed it through careful observation and craftsmanship. Like them, Curtis reminds us that art isn't just about grand gestures, but about the quiet joy of seeing.