Pa. German Plate c. 1936

Yolande Delasser made this ‘Pa. German Plate’ on paper using watercolor, sometime between 1855 and 1995. There’s something really charming about the way Delasser handles the watercolor, creating a kind of soft focus effect, like a memory or a dream. The palette is muted – greens and oranges – with the flower and leaf motifs rendered in a simple, almost naive style. You get a real sense of the artist's hand. It's not about perfection; it's about the joy of making. I find myself drawn to the way the brushstrokes seem to caress the surface of the paper. Look at how the color pools in some areas, creating darker, richer tones. And then, in other spots, it's so thin and transparent. It's this push and pull between opacity and translucency that gives the painting its depth and vitality. It reminds me a bit of the work of outsider artists like Bill Traylor, who were similarly unconcerned with formal technique. Ultimately, this piece is a reminder that art is about so much more than skill. It's about expression, connection, and the ongoing conversation between artists across time.