Patches from Quilt c. 1937

Eleanor Gausser created these Patches from Quilt with watercolor and graphite on paper. Each of the nine diamond shapes has a unique pattern, with a limited color palette of reds, browns, and pinks. It’s interesting to think about the texture of a quilt in relation to the flat surface of the paper. The graphite lines are soft and smudged, like the pressed edge of fabric, while the watercolor bleeds into the paper, blurring the patterns of each patch. Look at the diamond in the lower left corner. The brown paint is layered to create a sense of depth, almost like the velvet texture of an old quilt. Gausser also made many drawings documenting the barns and houses in her community. Like quilt-making, these drawings record something essential about daily life. It makes me think of the Gee’s Bend quilters, who used abstract shapes and patterns to create beautiful, functional objects. Art and life are not so different, after all.