Design from Windham, Maine 1803: From Proposed Portfolio "Maine Wall Stencils" 1935 - 1942

Mildred E. Bent made this design from a wall stencil from Windham, Maine, probably with pencil and watercolor. It’s one of a series that was proposed for a portfolio. It's like folk art meets mid-century design. The leaves and stems are these solid, almost graphic shapes, but then you get to the flowers and there's this lovely broken color. Red, with hints of the paper showing through, especially at the jagged edges which are almost like teeth. The red is so alive against the muted gray-greens, and that contrast really sings. There's something so charming about how a stencil can be both precise and imperfect at the same time. Like, you know the artist had a plan, but the hand still comes through in the application of the paint. It makes me think of those Shaker designs—simple, functional, but with a quiet beauty that sneaks up on you. It's about making something beautiful out of the everyday. Like how an artist such as Henri Matisse could reference so much historical painting in his cut-outs, yet render it immediate and accessible.