José Antonio Usea Ponce — Balls of yarn — Watercolour — 1989

An appealing original watercolour by José Antonio Usea Ponce, signed and dated 1989, depicting a still life of balls of yarn and knitting needles.

The work stands out for its luminosity and especially careful handling of colour. Green, blue, yellow and red balls of yarn are arranged against an almost bare background, creating a clean, balanced composition. Delicate tonal variations render the textures, conveying the volume and softness of the wool with remarkable naturalness.

Usea Ponce’s career was connected with Barcelona’s art scene over several decades. A solo exhibition at the Cotxeres de Sants is documented, and he later maintained a regular presence in group exhibitions. In 2009 he received an Honourable Mention from the Agrupació d’Aquarel·listes de Catalunya, a longstanding institution devoted to watercolour.

Technical details

• Artist: José Antonio Usea Ponce
• Title: Balls of yarn
• Date: 1989
• Technique: Watercolour on paper
• Dimensions: 35.5 × 50.5 cm
• Signature: Signed “Usea Ponce” and dated 1989
• Style: Figurative / Still life
• Provenance: Private collection
• Condition: Good overall condition consistent with its age, with small marks and visible attachment points in the margins

The Taller Note

A work representative of Usea Ponce’s sensitivity as a watercolourist, in which an everyday subject becomes an engaging study of colour, volume and texture. Its date of 1989 also places it within a period when the artist already had documented exhibition activity in Barcelona.