Landscape in Petit Point 1937

J. Howard Iams made this landscape scene in petit point. You can see the labor, the way the image is built up, stitch by stitch. It’s a slow, meditative process, a real testament to the act of making. Looking closely, the texture is so present. It is built up with tiny points of color, each one carefully placed. There’s a tension between the flatness of the surface and the illusion of depth, the water receding into the distance, the mountains rising up. It’s like a pixelated dream, where each stitch is a little world unto itself. Notice the building, how the stitches create a sense of depth and shadow. This piece reminds me of the work of Paul Klee, who also explored the relationship between color, form, and process. And like Klee, Iams invites us to slow down, to look closely, and to appreciate the beauty of imperfection. Art isn’t about answers, but about asking questions, and embracing the ambiguity of it all.