Waffle Iron c. 1939

Isabelle De Strange rendered this 'Waffle Iron', using what looks like graphite or ink, with perhaps some watercolour washes for tone. The iron itself sits high on the page, with a long handled utensil hovering beneath. The flat iron has a grid-like surface, each indentation creating small squares in vertical columns. I love the way De Strange has meticulously rendered the object with subtle shading and details. Look closely at the surface of the iron - do you see the tiny, irregular marks and textures that give it a sense of age and wear? The neutral palette emphasizes the object's raw materiality. It's like she's saying, 'Here it is, plain and simple.' There's a quiet poetry in her focus, a celebration of the everyday object and the beauty of functionality. This reminds me a little of the drawings of Charles Sheeler, who also found ways of elevating industrial and domestic objects into pure, minimalist forms. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places.