Octant 1939

John Thorsen made this drawing of an octant and its case at an unknown date, using what looks like watercolor. There's a real precision to the way he's described these objects, but the execution feels loose, like he’s really thinking about the object as he goes. Looking closely, there's something so beautiful in the way he's rendered the wood grain. You can almost feel the texture. The colors are muted, almost faded, which gives it a nostalgic, old-world feel. Notice that area where the green handle meets the dark frame. There is this beautiful kind of blending and feathering. It almost looks like it's glowing. The way he’s handled the watercolor gives it this sense of light and atmosphere that elevates it beyond just a technical diagram. Thorsen's work reminds me of some of the American precisionist painters. Not because of his style, but because of the way they find beauty in the ordinary, in the things that surround us. Ultimately, it's a work that invites you to slow down and appreciate the beauty in simple things, and that’s something that speaks to me as a painter.