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

Mildred Bent made this design for a portfolio of Maine wall stencils. It's pretty cool to think about her looking at walls, imagining the hands that made these stencils, and the rooms they occupied. It's almost like she's in conversation with those people, separated by time, reaching back to understand their visual language and patterns. The flowers and leaves here are like graphic, simplified shapes floating on the wall, but you can sense the history in this, a connection to older traditions. I imagine her thinking about the people who would have made those stencils, what their lives were like, and what they were trying to communicate through these images. The red and grey bring a lot of energy. They are like bold statements, simple but impactful, and still feel fresh.