Wooden Cross used as Headstone (Hand Made) c. 1937

Majel G. Claflin made this watercolor of a wooden cross, being used as a headstone, sometime before 1941. I like how Claflin approached the paint so directly. She makes no attempt to disguise the handmade quality of the cross, nor of her own painting. You can almost feel the texture of the wood, and you can definitely see her brushstrokes. Look at the way she renders the flowers that adorn the cross. Each petal seems to have been applied with care, and with a touch of humour! This piece feels like a cousin to Marsden Hartley's folk art-inspired paintings, where direct observation meets a kind of mystical symbolism. It is the way that the artist takes a mundane object and imbues it with meaning, with love, that makes this work so compelling. Ultimately, this painting is a reminder that art is not about perfection but about connection and conversation.