Bonnet c. 1939

Grace Halpin made this drawing of a Bonnet, we're not sure exactly when, using graphite and colored pencil. I love the controlled mark-making, all those tiny lines building up the form. You can see how Halpin worked her way across the surface, almost like knitting the image together. It feels like a slow, deliberate process, maybe even meditative. Look at the way she captures the light on the fabric, how the colored pencil gives it this soft, almost pearlescent glow. And the ruffles! So delicate, so precise. It makes me think of Agnes Martin, who's quiet geometries carry this same emotional resonance. It's like Halpin found a way to make something so ordinary, like a bonnet, into something extraordinary. Ultimately, it invites us to see the world with a renewed sense of wonder and appreciation for the everyday.