The Old Melting Pots by Ellen Buselli

"Vintage cast iron melting pots have beautiful weathered matte surfaces and a humble wabi-sabi appeal. Although they are quite heavy and utilitarian made to withstand extreme heat over open flames, there is an elegance to their simple design. When I purchased several of them while antiquing in upstate New York one summer, I was very compelled to paint them in my still life set-ups. They have a sense of timelessness and to me, these objects are reminiscent of paintings by Emil Carlsen, one of my favorite last-turn-of-the century painters. The largest pot is center stage flanked by supporting characters. The weathered color palette creates a sense of time passing and entropy at work. The theme of utilitarian objects is elevated to a higher beauty by the loveliness and grace of the objects themselves." –ELLEN BUSELLI