Basque c. 1936

Gladys Cook made "Basque" on paper, in what looks like pencil and coloured crayon. It’s a drawing of a dress design, with a plaid bodice – green, white, and navy – and a suggestion of a much lighter skirt. I can imagine Gladys, head bent over her paper, carefully building up the plaid, line by line. You know how it is, when you're trying to bring something into being. The slight variations in pressure, a thicker line here, a lighter one there – it's all part of the conversation. I love the little diagram floating at the top, a kind of key to the dress. It’s so intimate, like a whisper. This drawing talks to other artists, other designers, all those engaged in the conversation of making. It's an echo of something seen, something felt, translated onto paper. It captures a world of possibility – what this dress could be.