Coffee Grinder c. 1939

D.J. Grant made this work on paper of a coffee grinder, and there’s something so earnest in this everyday object immortalized in art. I imagine Grant hunched over the paper, brow furrowed, capturing every little groove and curve. Look at how they've built up the form with delicate, subtle shading. It’s so precise, almost architectural, yet the soft, warm palette gives it a tender quality, like a love letter to a humble kitchen tool. It reminds me of other artists who found beauty in the mundane, like Morandi with his bottles, or the early Pop artists celebrating consumer culture. But there's also a sense of folk art here, an appreciation for the handmade and the utilitarian. It’s a quiet kind of rebellion, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Like, what is more routine than the morning cup? What is more meditative than the process? Ultimately, it’s a testament to how artists transform our perception, inviting us to see the world anew.