Buttons c. 1940

Mary Fitzgerald, sometime between 1855 and 1995, made this lovely study of buttons. I wonder what it was like to conjure these up from scratch? What were Mary's thoughts as she made each one? Was it a kind of meditation? A break from other work? A playful moment of imagination? Each button is unique, a tiny world contained within a circle or oval. The colours are soft, muted, and full of gentle variations. The turquoise one shimmers like a tiny pool. The central pink one explodes outwards like a flower. And the little portrait button invites you to make up a story about who that little person might be. Thinking about this artwork, I think about other artists like Alfred Jensen who explored systems and abstract symbols, or Forrest Bess who dove deep into his unconscious mind. These artists, like Mary, remind us that art can be found in the most unexpected places, that creativity is boundless, and that a simple painted image opens up new ways of seeing, feeling, and being.