Coverlet c. 1937

Lon Cronk made this coverlet, with a blue and white palette, sometime between the 19th and 20th century. The mark-making here is so process-oriented, you can almost feel Cronk at work, patiently building up the pattern block by block. The texture is incredible - you can practically feel the weave just by looking at it. The indigo blue against the bright white gives it this electric quality, like the whole thing is vibrating. And look at the way the small, dark blue squares repeat in the center. It’s a meditation, a dance of color and form. It reminds me of weaving in and out of thoughts when I’m painting. Each gesture building towards something bigger, something you can’t quite see until it’s done. This piece has the same kind of obsessive quality as some of the work of Agnes Martin, both artists create entire worlds out of simple forms and repetition. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful.