Servet van linnendamast met vlinders c. 1904

This linen damask cloth with butterflies, was made by Chris Lebeau. It's hard to date it exactly, but it gives me an idea about process, about how an image emerges from the materials. The linen has a beautiful, subtle texture, and the butterflies are woven in a way that makes them almost shimmer. Look closely, and you’ll see how each butterfly is made up of tiny, repetitive marks. Each one a little different, like the slight variations you see in a handmade print. This reminds me of when I teach a painting class. I often ask my students to repeat a mark, over and over, to see how it changes and evolves. It’s a way of discovering the potential in a simple gesture. There’s something very satisfying about the way this cloth combines the precision of design with the irregularities of the craft. It's a piece that invites you to slow down and appreciate the beauty of small, deliberate actions. Like the work of Anni Albers, it elevates craft to high art.