Coverlet c. 1940

This ‘Coverlet’ was made by Charles Roadman, but it’s not dated, so we can only guess when he might have woven this striking textile. The red and tan hues of the pattern, formed from tiny squares, are almost like pixels in a digital image. Looking closely, you can almost feel the texture of the weave, that back and forth, up and down that creates the fabric, and the pattern. What I love about textiles is how they show the process, the hand of the maker right there in the finished piece. You can see the decisions, the little shifts and changes that must have happened as Roadman worked. The entire work is a conversation between color and texture, between the individual thread and the overall design. It reminds me a little of the work of Anni Albers, another textile artist who explored the possibilities of weaving as a form of abstract expression. With Roadman, as with Albers, the process is where the magic happens, a testament to the beauty of making.