Baby Dress c. 1940

Cora Parker made this ‘Baby Dress’ with watercolour and graphite on paper. It’s a study of fabric, and I wonder what it was like to paint such an intimate object? The dress appears almost translucent, the soft folds rendered with such delicate washes of colour. Look at the bottom of the dress, just above the hem: here, the paper seems to glow, as if lit from beneath. It reminds me how a white canvas is never just white, but a field of infinite potential. It's as though Parker is trying to capture not just the form of the dress, but its very essence, the way light catches and moves across its surface. I’m reminded of Agnes Martin, who also worked with subtle gradations of colour to create ethereal, almost meditative paintings. Both artists invite us to slow down, to really see the world around us with fresh eyes.