Chest Design 1935 - 1942

Etna Wiswall made this chest design with paint. I just love the color palette, the reds and greens, almost Christmasy, but not quite. What I love most about it is that you can see the making. It's all about the process. I'm drawn to the two little birds, how they mirror each other and perch amongst the flowers. They are very much alive through the texture of the paint. Wiswall doesn't try to conceal her marks. The paint is built up, layer after layer, with each stroke visible, almost like scales. It makes the birds look vital, like they are really singing. The whole design feels deeply connected to folk art, a world of ongoing exchange across time. There is something very honest and beautiful about this design. It's not about perfection, it's about feeling and doing. It embraces its imperfections and ambiguities.