Shaker Coverlet 1935 - 1942

Alois E. Ulrich painted this Shaker Coverlet, and it's like he's not just showing us a piece of cloth but inviting us to feel its texture and imagine its history. The painting looks like a watercolor, all soft blues and creams, depicting a woven textile folded or draped in a casual, off-hand way. I can imagine Alois, probably just Al to his friends, carefully layering the washes, trying to capture the way the light catches on each little thread. He must have wanted to capture the essence of the real thing, its humble beauty, and the story of the hands that made it. It reminds me that every work of art, whether it's a painting or a coverlet, is a product of time, labor, and a whole lot of care. And as a painter, I know that the act of trying to represent something so intimately is a way of honoring it, of keeping its spirit alive.