Striped Kersey c. 1937

This drawing of "Striped Kersey" was made by William Parkinson, who lived from 1855 to 1995, so he had a good run. Look at the way he painstakingly built up this small swatch of fabric with individual strokes of pencil or pen. It's so process-oriented. Parkinson really gets into the nitty-gritty texture of the textile; you can almost feel the weave. The blue stripes have this beautiful diagonal hatching that contrasts with the more open weave of the undyed material. It’s like he’s showing us how the thing is made, thread by thread, a real act of devotion. Thinking about other artists, I'm reminded of Agnes Martin's delicate grids or even some of the pattern paintings from the 70’s. "Striped Kersey" invites us to appreciate the meditative quality of repetitive marks and the quiet beauty of the everyday. And you know what? It's totally okay if you see something different. Art is an open conversation, after all.