Pottery Jam Jar c. 1938

Magnus S. Fossum made this small-scale watercolor of a jam jar, with soft blue and brown hues. I can imagine him carefully applying each delicate wash, coaxing the form of the jar into being. Look at how the paint pools slightly at the base, creating a subtle shadow that grounds the object in space. He seems to have captured that humble domestic form. You can feel the quiet observation, the patient study. It’s interesting how artists choose their subjects, isn’t it? Why a jam jar? Maybe it was about the play of light on its surface, or perhaps it held some personal significance. You know, artists are always looking at each other's work. So maybe Fossum was looking at the still life painting of Chardin. Painting is like a conversation across time, where one person is adding to the conversation, finding different ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world.