Doll's Dress c. 1936

Here's Lillian Stahl's 'Doll's Dress', made with watercolor on paper. I can almost imagine the artist’s hand, delicately applying these sheer washes of light blue and white to conjure up this garment. The dress, with its tiny purple floral patterns, is so sweetly rendered. I wonder about the artist, Lillian Stahl, born way back in 1855. What was she thinking as she painted this? Was she thinking of her own childhood, or someone else's? The way the light catches the fabric, just barely there, it's like she's captured a memory. You know, painting is like a conversation across time. We, as artists, look at each other's work, and steal each other’s ideas. It's an ongoing exchange, and that's why painting never gets boring. It’s always changing, always surprising.