Door Latch and Handle c. 1939

This is Paul Poffinbarger’s drawing of a "Door Latch and Handle", made with graphite and colored pencil on paper. I love the way Poffinbarger approaches this piece – it’s not just about depicting an object, but about the process of seeing and representing it. The graphite and colored pencil give the latch a tactile quality, like you could reach out and feel the metal. I think that Poffinbarger is so good at capturing the textures and details, from the smooth curve of the handle to the intricate floral patterns etched into the metal. The color palette is restrained, mostly browns and grays, but within that limited range, there's a surprising amount of variation. The lines are precise, but there’s a looseness to the drawing that suggests the artist was working intuitively, letting the image emerge organically. This piece makes me think of other artists who blurred the lines between observation and invention, like Charles Burchfield. Both artists share a fascination with the everyday, finding beauty and strangeness in the overlooked corners of the world. Art is like a conversation across time.