Appliqued Quilt 1935 - 1942

This is Mildred Bent's appliqued quilt. We don't know when it was made, but Bent lived between 1855 and 1995, and what interests me is how the making embodies a whole life, a lived process. I love the way the repeated floral and leaf patterns create a visual rhythm, and how the texture of the fabric and the stitching add a tactile dimension. The pale background really makes the reds and greens sing. Look at the way the stitches meander, almost like drawing with thread. It reminds me that artmaking is a conversation with the materials and a dance between intention and chance. There's a simplicity here, a directness that reminds me of early folk art. It also makes me think of Gee's Bend quilts, where the constraints of the medium lead to amazing innovation. There’s no right or wrong way to see it; it's all about what the artwork stirs in you.