Lumberman's Brailing Pin c. 1942

Frank Volem made this painting of a Lumberman's Brailing Pin sometime in the 20th Century. It's simple, but don't let that fool you. There's something really lovely about the way the artist has looked at this pin. I'm thinking about Volem, about how he's seen this object as worthy of care and attention, making me consider the stories of lumberjacks and the tools that shaped their lives, and the forests they felled. The brown colour feels so honest, and the way the artist hasn’t tried to make it 'beautiful' in a conventional way is really cool. Instead he honours it for what it is, a humble tool. Maybe painting this was a way for Volem to connect with a past way of life. You know, all us artists are magpies, picking up ideas, responding to art and the world around us. This painting reminds me of the importance of seeing beauty in the everyday.