Tablecloth c. 1937

Florence Truelson made this watercolour and graphite ‘Tablecloth’ sometime in the first half of the 20th century. It's all about surface, pattern, and texture. Look at how she’s built up these ornamental borders. Truelson is getting into the nitty-gritty of how we make things. You can almost feel the looped threads of the tassels. The texture looks so inviting, doesn’t it? Those little circles remind me of the marks I make when I’m trying to work something out, sort of obsessive and repetitive. I love the contrast between the loose and drippy red background and the carefully patterned border. The red bleeds and blooms, while the border sits perfectly still in its neat repetitions. That little swatch in the corner is like a painter's colour chart. It reminds me of the work of Ree Morton, who also explored the boundary between painting, sculpture, and craft. Ultimately, art is a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. It's about asking questions, not providing answers.