Footstool c. 1936

Frank Nelson rendered this green footstool in watercolor at some point in his long life. Look at the different ways the greens create space! I wonder, was Nelson thinking about design, or imagining a space? Maybe he was sitting in a chair, with his feet up, thinking about this very footstool? It’s curious how much care he took with the curvilinear legs. It's got such a distinctive shape—each leg seems to stretch and taper. I bet he kept adjusting and refining these details, trying to make it just right. It reminds me of some of my own paintings. I can relate to the impulse to keep pushing and pulling at the image until it feels complete. It's almost like Nelson is having a conversation with the furniture, figuring out its form and function through his artistic process.