Wooden Bucket c. 1939

Charles Garjian made this painting of a wooden bucket sometime in the 20th century, and I just love the tenderness of his rendering. It’s like he really took the time to sit with this object, to know it. I can almost feel the artist’s hand as he carefully layers those blues and browns, each stroke building up the form, giving it a real weight and presence. You know, it’s funny how something as simple as the grain of the wood can become so expressive when it’s filtered through someone’s vision. And the colour is gorgeous, really evocative. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter's colours. It’s like he’s saying, "Hey, even the most ordinary things can be beautiful if you really look." And isn’t that what art is all about? It’s a conversation across time, an ongoing exchange of ideas that keeps inspiring us to see the world in new ways.