Helen Malta Pencil Sketch of Woman Feeding Birds, 1930s Northwest coast native There is writing on about

There is writing on about 55 of the 100 or so pages

as a planter for a narcissus or amaryllis

with what looks like just a few bristles missing near the very center

The platter is signed on the bottom in glaze

What I am not certain of is whether there is an intended function for the opening in the front of the body

Helen Malta Pencil Sketch of Woman Feeding Birds, 1930s Northwest coast native There is writing on aboutThis drawing takes me straight to a park in New York, sitting on a bench and watching this woman who has surely made a daily habit of coming to feed these birds. While notes on the drawing ("red and blue dots" written on the woman's shoulder, and "brilliant blue and green birds" at bottom right) suggest that this was a quick sketch in advance of a more finished drawings, I think the looseness and lack of color, combined with the way her hair falls