Cross Stitch c. 1938

This is Elmer Weise’s ‘Cross Stitch’. I love how the floral wreath and butterfly design is built up slowly, stitch by stitch, against that intense black background. It's clear that texture is so important in this piece. Imagine running your hand across this! The tiny stitches create a kind of topography, like looking at a landscape from above. The dark velvet surface really makes those colours pop, doesn't it? It's so rich and luminous. Look at how the individual stitches catch the light. Each one a little world. And those reds! So vibrant against the deep black. They pull you in, like a little focal point. And then you notice the blues and greens, all balanced and working together. This piece reminds me of the work of Yayoi Kusama, in the way both artists find their own language through repetition and accumulation. It’s a testament to the power of craft, how something so simple can be so moving.