Basket c. 20th century

This is a lidded basket made by Tohono O’odham artists. Its surface is textured with tight spirals of pale straw and dark fiber, like the patient, building strokes of a painter. I wonder, what was it like to make this? Did the maker begin at the center of the lid and wind outwards in circles, or did they start at the base and work their way up to the top? I’m thinking about how each stitch is a decision, a tiny mark that builds into a larger pattern. The dark bands pull and push against the light, creating these cool geometric shapes that dance across the surface. It’s a back and forth, a rhythm. I feel that pattern in my hands, a kind of call and response, like when you’re talking to another painter, and you make a mark, and they respond, and you respond back. It's a process of working and reworking to create something new, all the while exchanging, challenging, and inspiring one another. The Tohono O’odham basket makers definitely inspire me!