Quaker Doll c. 1940

This watercolor of a Quaker Doll was made by Charlotte Angus, sometime in the mid 20th century. It's a quiet sort of painting, and maybe that’s perfect, because the doll itself seems quiet. It's like the painting is listening. I'm thinking about how Angus lets the watercolor do its thing: the slight bleeds, the way the pigment settles into the paper. It's not about perfection, but about letting the materials speak. And what a material: watercolor! It's thin, transparent, almost like a memory. See how the colors gently pool and blend, especially in the doll's dress? It gives a sense of volume, but also of something fleeting, like a ghost. It brings to mind other painters who were interested in the everyday, like Fairfield Porter, who wasn’t afraid to paint the world around him, as it was. A simple, sincere act of looking, and sharing that vision with us.