Sewing Table 1938

Charles Goodwin made this watercolour, entitled "Sewing Table", sometime during his long life that stretched from the mid-19th well into the late 20th century. It shows the inner and outer details of a very charming piece of furniture. Just looking at it, I feel like I can see the artist’s careful hand, patiently building up the forms with these subtle, descriptive marks. The greens and reds of the interior really pop against the brown of the wood. It's like he wanted to show you everything, inside and out, all at once. I wonder if he chose watercolour to emphasise the intimate and domestic qualities of the furniture? It makes me think about other artists who get into the nitty-gritty of everyday life, the kind of stuff we usually overlook. I feel Goodwin invites us to really see the beauty in the ordinary, to appreciate the simple elegance of a well-made object. When we celebrate the overlooked in this way, we're not just looking at a picture of a table, we're entering a conversation about how we value the things around us.