Embroidered Undersleeve 1938

Douglas Cox made this Embroidered Undersleeve out of thread, sometime in the 20th century. The delicacy of the grey thread on the plain fabric, so unassuming! It reminds me of when I'm working on a painting and I keep trying to add more, more, more! But the painting already has everything it needs. It’s so interesting how the subtle texture and color can give us such a tactile sense of the fabric. You can almost feel the delicate thread work against your fingertips, can’t you? Look at the way the thread forms the shape of the flowers, so precise and yet so organic. I'm so interested in how the artist is taking something from nature and translating it into something so beautifully, meticulously crafted. It's kind of like Agnes Martin’s work with grids and her quiet lines, but in another medium. Isn’t it beautiful how embroidery lets us see the world in a new way? It's a gentle reminder to appreciate the quiet beauty in the world.