Tray c. 1937

Grace Halpin made this tray, sometime before 1995, as a kind of functional artwork, playing with ideas around decoration and domesticity. The palette is fairly subdued, lots of creams, greens, and browns against that glossy black background; it feels really considered, like a conversation is happening between each shade. There's a really interesting interplay between the flatness of the tray's surface and the illusion of depth created by the painted flowers, foliage, and fountains. Those bright white flowers pop out, while the tiny blooms around the rim feel more like surface ornamentation. It's interesting how the artist has chosen to render the blossoms; they're not overly realistic, but have a simplified, almost diagrammatic quality. It makes me think a little of Henri Rousseau and his dreamy, imagined landscapes, but here we have this everyday object transformed into a little pocket of reverie. It's a good reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places!