Fragment of Bed Curtain c. 1937

This Fragment of Bed Curtain was made with thread on fabric by Florence Earl. Looking at the blues and greens stitched into this flower, I can imagine Earl sitting and methodically stitching these hues on the canvas. The texture is so present! You can feel the raised surfaces and dense patterns created by the stitches. Look at the gradient of blues shading the petals. They seem to blossom right off the surface of the fabric. And aren't those curling brown tendrils amazing? I wonder if they are a response to the artist's environment, or purely imagined? I find myself so drawn to the labor and time Earl devoted to this piece. It's clear that Florence Earl was in dialogue with the world of design through her art. There is something so optimistic in the image. A celebration of our natural world. It reminds us that art is a conversation across time, with each artist contributing their unique vision to the collective dream.