Crochet Doily 1935 - 1942

Herbert Marsh made this Crochet Doily sometime between 1855 and 1995 using graphite and gouache on paper. I love that Marsh, who lived to be so old, made this humble doily and carefully rendered it with gouache. It's like a quiet, careful meditation. I feel like I can see him in his studio, head bent over, squinting, trying to get the light just right as it bounces off the pearly orbs of the crochet. I can imagine how the repetitive, rhythmic movement of the crochet hook, pulling and looping the yarn, would be a kind of meditative act in itself. And Marsh's work drawing this humble object feels like a continuation of that. There's something deeply satisfying about taking an everyday, functional object and elevating it to art through careful observation and skilled execution. It's a reminder that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places, and that the act of making, whether with yarn or paint, is a way of connecting with the world and with each other.