Silk Patchwork Quilt c. 1936

This artwork, *Silk Patchwork Quilt* by Florence Elizabeth Atkins, presents a meticulously crafted pattern of multi-colored cubes, each outlined in dark ink, creating a mesmerizing field of tessellated color. Looking at it, I imagine Atkins deeply absorbed in the act of creation. Maybe she began by drawing each cube individually, filling it with different hues – a meditative, almost obsessive process of applying color to form. It’s fascinating to imagine how Atkins built up the image, one tiny element at a time. The texture of the surface is smooth and the colors blend in a way that makes it so you can almost feel each individual cube. The work has a playful quality, but also a rigor. Atkins reminds me of other artists, like Ree Morton, who brought craft practices into the art world. It makes you think of the way paintings are built up, stroke by stroke, idea by idea. All artists borrow from each other, making work that begins in one place but ends up somewhere else. It's so much like how we think, always moving and changing.