Woven Napkin c. 1937

Suzanne Roy’s 'Woven Napkin' looks like it was rendered with colored pencils. Looking at this, I can imagine Suzanne hunched over her drawing, carefully building up each tiny line. Maybe she was thinking about all the other artists who’ve been obsessed with patterns throughout time. How they build a world. Here, it’s the world of the domestic, of course. She’s drawing something so utterly mundane, a napkin! But the focus feels like the way a repetitive pattern, like plaid, can offer endless possibilities. It’s about rhythm and order, but also imperfection and variation. You notice how the napkin isn't perfect. Suzanne embraces the slight wobble in the lines and the unevenness of the colors. That little touch of blue in the pattern feels playful, like a little secret. It's like she's saying, "Hey, even the most ordinary things can be kind of beautiful." It makes me want to go home and really *look* at my own textiles! Suzanne's just another artist speaking to us across time.