Woman's Cape c. 1936

Helen Gilman made this watercolor called 'Woman's Cape', but we don't know when. The process of painting, for me, is like having a conversation with color, and Gilman’s limited blue palette here, with subtle shifts and shades, creates such a mood. The blue feels like a memory, or an emotion, solid and still like grief. Look closely, and you’ll notice the delicate handling of the watercolor, where the color softly bleeds into the paper. In other areas, like the buttons and collar, the paint is more concentrated, giving a velvety texture that invites you to reach out and touch it. See how the collar casts a subtle shadow on the cape, adding depth and dimension to the otherwise flat surface. It’s the kind of detail that makes the cape feel real, like it exists in a space we can almost enter. This piece makes me think of Agnes Martin, whose work, like Gilman's, invites you to slow down and experience the quietness of color.