Handmade Grater 1935 - 1942

This 'Handmade Grater' by Joseph Glover, made with watercolor and graphite, just kind of vibrates on the paper. Glover is so interested in the texture; the little flecks of rust on the grater, the way the wood has aged over time. You can see each little perforation, each bump, like he’s mapping out a whole world on this small surface. Look at how the colors work! They’re muted, like a memory, but still so precise, each line carefully considered. The process is right there on the surface. You get a sense of the artist really looking, really seeing the object, almost caressing it with his eyes as he draws. It reminds me a bit of some of the Shaker drawings, where everyday objects become almost sacred through the act of close observation and careful rendering. Art doesn’t always have to be loud or flashy. Sometimes it’s the quiet, unassuming things that speak the loudest.