Money Bag 1935 - 1942

Flora Guerra made this watercolor painting, *Money Bag,* with great care. The repetitive rhomboid pattern in brick red and pale tan feels so very exact, but notice, it is offset by the yarny fringe across the top, plus those fuzzy bobbles, like tiny blue planets dotted around the perimeter. I can just imagine her in her studio, totally absorbed in the process, patiently filling the page. It’s not just the visual effect; I can feel the making, the hand moving back and forth, building up the image one careful stroke at a time. Painters and fiber artists share so much: an attention to detail, a love of color, and a commitment to craft. The physicality is evident; the texture is everything. Even in a painting of a textile, Guerra brings the object to life. It makes me want to get my hands busy, too, to start a dialogue with her across time and space through the language of color, line, and form. Because, isn't that what art is all about?