Woven Coverlet (Detail) c. 1937

Magnus S. Fossum made this drawing of a woven coverlet, in what looks like watercolor. What interests me is this mix of grids and patterns in the weaving itself, against this very loose fringe. It makes me think about the act of creation itself, where there is a kind of structure in place, but you have to let the thing go a little. I bet Fossum was really focused on the color relationships and the textures of the woven textiles, the blues against reds and browns. There is something lovely about the combination of these very structured blocks, with these almost free falling elements. Thinking about the discipline of the weaving process as a very slow and considered practice, and the kind of intense and intimate relationship to the material. Painters, weavers, we're all just working with our hands, trying to figure out what the material wants to do, listening to the past, and hoping something new emerges.