Patchwork Squares c. 1941

Charlotte Angus made these 'Patchwork Squares' with watercolor and graphite on paper. Imagine her at work – she carefully renders the patterns of two quilt squares. I love how Angus pays attention to every detail, from the floral fabrics to the careful way the light hits the surface, as if they were three-dimensional. What was she thinking when she made this? I wonder if she was also a quilter herself and made this piece to remember her work, or perhaps someone else's? The outlines are soft, smudged, and suggestive. In my own practice I am interested in the conversations between painters across time, and I can't help but wonder who would have been inspiring Angus, and who might she have inspired in turn? It seems, as with painting, that quilting is also about embracing the ambiguity and uncertainty that opens up when we work with our hands.