Petit Point Fire Screen c. 1937

This Petit Point Fire Screen was made by Ernest A. Towers, Jr., though we're unsure when. You know, sometimes the not-knowing adds to the mystery, like a secret ingredient in a recipe. Looking at this piece, it's all about the surface, isn't it? The way the colors play together, a soft dance of blues, yellows, reds, and greens. I'm drawn to the central floral design, how it anchors the piece, yet remains light and airy. It's like a little world contained within the frame, a garden in miniature. The whole thing reads like it's been lovingly crafted stitch by stitch. It puts me in mind of other artists who play with scale and detail, like Joseph Cornell with his intricate boxes. Just like them, Towers invites us to look closer, to get lost in the details, and to find our own meaning in the work. Art is really an ongoing conversation, a constant back-and-forth between artists and viewers, ideas evolving and shifting over time.