Woven Coverlet c. 1936

This Woven Coverlet was made by Elizabeth Valentine, it has an almost digital feel, with the patterns articulated in what look like pixels of blue and white. It's amazing to think about this piece being made one thread at a time. The repetition of the blue and white is almost meditative, yet there is a definite playfulness to it too. The diamond shapes are echoed by ovals, and squares, as the piece moves down towards a decorative woven trim, finished with a playful fringe. It reminds me of the work of Anni Albers, who similarly took an interest in weaving and its potential as a form of abstraction. I love how it embraces simplicity, and the potential for variation within a limited framework. To me, the work isn't necessarily about perfection, but more a kind of visual conversation. It's in this conversation we can find something really beautiful, a kind of radical acceptance of the nature of artmaking itself.