Mirror c. 1936

Fred Weiss made this watercolor, Mirror, and it looks like it was made to act as a kind of design blueprint. It’s so interesting how the process of designing something can become something beautiful and interesting in its own right. The surface is matte, and the pale blues and browns give the object an antique feel. The artist has let the paint run in places, giving the mirror's surface a cloudy, almost ethereal quality. The frame has an intricate outline with playful curls and a jaunty bird perched right at the top. The frame seems to dance and the reflection is like a blurred memory or a dream. It makes me think of those old Shaker designs, simple and functional, but with this unexpected dash of ornamentation. Isamu Noguchi comes to mind as well, with his playfulness and his eye for balance and form. Art really is just an ongoing conversation, isn't it? So much is possible, it really is all up for grabs!