Coverlet 1937

This coverlet was made by Ralph Atkinson, who was born in 1855 and died in 1995, and right away I’m intrigued by the checkerboard structure, and the simple but striking palette. The blocks alternate red and white, each with a dark blue floral motif. Look at the way the artist uses the material to create these pixelated images. It's not about hiding the process but celebrating it! It reminds me that making art is a series of choices, a dance between intention and accident. Notice the fringe, how it adds a playful, tactile element. The texture invites you to reach out, to feel the work, as if touch could unlock another layer of meaning. This piece has echoes of artists like Anni Albers, who also explored the intersection of craft and fine art, using the grid as a foundation for experimentation. It invites us to see the world not as fixed and certain, but as a space of endless possibilities.