Colcha 1935 - 1942

Editor: This drawing, titled "Colcha," was made by Majel G. Claflin sometime between 1935 and 1942. It's quite abstract, almost like a stylized landscape using these bold stripes of color. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: It's fascinating to consider this piece within its historical context. Looking at the visible brushstrokes, the layered paint, the very *making* of this work becomes significant. Can we really separate this "drawing" from practices typically deemed craft like quilting –the labor of creating textiles within domestic spaces? Editor: So, you see it less as a high art landscape and more connected to textile traditions? Curator: Exactly. And notice how the title "Colcha," which is Spanish for bedspread or quilt, directly references that material history. It suggests Claflin was deeply engaged with the processes of design and production that were perhaps dismissed within art historical narratives focused solely on painting or sculpture. Where do we place value, and why? Editor: That's interesting, I was immediately drawn to the abstraction, the purely aesthetic qualities. I hadn't really considered its potential connection to craft practices at all! Curator: But aren't those aesthetic qualities themselves rooted in the material conditions and production methods associated with textile work? The geometric pattern, the repetition – it all speaks to a particular process and history. Do you think her choice of medium impacts the message? Editor: Definitely. Framing it through materiality gives a whole new level of appreciation. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely. Considering the processes behind the image brings a richness often overlooked.