Wall Stencil c. 1940

Alvin Gully's "Wall Stencil," is a slice of vernacular artistry. It’s like glimpsing a moment frozen in time, probably made with simple stencils and house paint. I can imagine Gully, maybe a house painter by trade, carefully placing the stencil, dabbing the paint, and repeating the pattern. Did he mix his own colors, those muted blues and reds against the pale grey? I love the imperfection of it, the slight misalignments and variations, the way the pattern seems to breathe. It's all so handmade. There’s a conversation happening here with folk art traditions, with the impulse to decorate and bring beauty into everyday life. It reminds me that artists are always building on what came before, whether they know it or not. These stencils are full of expression, turning a simple wall into a testament of time.