Woven Bedspread c. 1936

Gladys Parker made this watercolor and graphite on paper rendering of a woven bedspread. Isn’t it intriguing to imagine Parker at work, trying to capture the textile’s design? The repeated square motifs, rendered in contrasting shades of blue and white, create a mesmerizing visual rhythm. I can almost feel the texture of the woven fabric, the way the threads intersect and create a tactile surface. There’s an obsessive quality here. Like Agnes Martin, she’s interested in the grid, but then she breaks it up with her painterly touch. I get the feeling that Parker was deeply engaged with the act of transcription, and that process became a site of inquiry, of thinking. In the end, all art is conversation. Parker looked at weaving; now we’re looking at her looking. It’s kind of beautiful when you think about it.