Squiggle 1962

Sheila Hicks made this Squiggle with fibers and weaving techniques. Immediately, what grabs me is the texture, a dense field of squiggles against a more stable, pink plane. It's so tactile, it makes you want to reach out and touch it. Looking closer, you see how Hicks builds up the surface. The inner squiggles, a riot of color – reds, greens, blues – feel almost like a drawing in thread. The outside border is a subdued, restrained plane, contrasting with the energetic core. That one strong pink thread draws the eye, it's like a rogue mark in a painting, insisting on its own space. There's something improvisational about this, a sense of play and experimentation. It reminds me of the work of Anni Albers, who explored the possibilities of weaving. The Squiggle is a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, in the simplest of materials.