Needle and Pin Case c. 1937

Ann Gene Buckley made this watercolour, of what looks like needle and pin cases. Aren’t they just the sweetest little things? I can just imagine Ann sitting there, patiently layering these thin washes of pink and khaki. The ribbon looks so soft and tactile! It’s so great to see the gentle marks of her hand. You can tell she really took care with the symmetry of these little teardrop shapes. I wonder if she was thinking about the simple pleasures of domestic life when she made it. I love how she’s arranged them on the page, almost like she's showing us a little family of objects. It reminds me of the work of other artists, like Agnes Martin, who used simple forms to create these really profound, contemplative spaces. It’s all connected, you know? It's nice to think of Ann Gene Buckley being part of this long conversation of artists, all talking to each other across time.