Crewel Embroidered Chair Seat c. 1936

This crewel embroidered chair seat, by Phyllis Dorr, invites a tactile kind of looking. You can imagine Dorr holding the fabric taut, each stitch a decision, a micro-adjustment in color and form. Look at that fantastic bird perched on the branch! The colors feel both intentional and somehow accidental, a quality I admire in any medium. The texture of the thread gives a raised, almost sculptural quality to the composition. The artist uses a limited range of stitches, but within that constraint, there is a real freedom. It's almost like improvisational jazz, where the structure provides a space for spontaneous expression. The way the colors bleed into each other in the landscape below – it's the kind of effect painters spend years trying to achieve. This piece reminds me of the work of Ree Morton, who used craft materials in a similarly playful and inventive way. Art is such an ongoing conversation, isn't it? The most exciting works are the ones that leave room for us to join in, to imagine our own stitches in the grand tapestry.