Printed Textile c. 1938

Eleanor Rogers created this printed textile design, and it really grabs me with its simple, repetitive gestures. The rows of blue dashes and dots, interspersed with floral swags create a rhythm, a process that feels almost meditative in its execution. Looking closely, the paint is applied in thin, deliberate layers, and I can imagine Rogers carefully building up the pattern, one mark at a time. The texture is smooth, almost like watercolor, and the colors are muted, creating a calm, soothing effect. There's a charming handmade quality in the subtle variations of the marks, like the slight wobble in the blue lines, or the imperfect circles of the dots. It puts me in mind of Hilma af Klint's botanical drawing, with that same feeling of nature rendered according to some kind of inner mystical system. Rogers is speaking a language all her own, one that values process, repetition, and the simple beauty of handmade marks over technical perfection. It reminds me that art is not just about the end result, but about the journey of making.