Bonnet c. 1937

This watercolor and graphite Bonnet on paper was made by Bessie Forman, who lived between 1855 and 1995. What a life span. Here, the purple bonnet sits squarely, solid, and almost daringly on the page. The colour is dense, the drawing intricate and precise. Bessie wasn’t messing around. Check out the plaid lining of the bonnet. It feels modern somehow. The pink ribbon ties are like dripping paint. I love how the sketch of the bonnet in the background almost undermines the seriousness of the piece with its tentativeness. Bessie Forman reminds me of other artists who were interested in textiles like Ree Morton. Morton used process and play in her drawings and sculpture in a way that is similar to Bessie’s Bonnet, but without the constraints of academic expectations. These are the kinds of conversations that sustain me as an artist.