Dress c. 1941

Winifred Gibbes made this watercolour and graphite study of a dress, and what strikes me is the softness of it. Look at how the dress emerges from the page through delicate washes of colour. The puffy sleeves, the long skirt, even the brown ribbons – they’re all rendered with such gentle precision. I wonder what Gibbes was thinking as she painted. Perhaps she was a dressmaker herself, carefully documenting designs. Or maybe she was simply captivated by the play of light on fabric. I feel like I can almost touch the slightly faded textures. Artists are always in conversation, right? Looking at this, I can't help but think of other artists who’ve explored similar themes. You know, how shape and form and colour come together to evoke feeling. The way we experience painting is so physical; it’s about how the artist moved their hand, how the colours blend, and ultimately how we relate to that. It's this conversation across time that keeps art alive and breathing.