Dress c. 1938

Nancy Crimi made this drawing, "Dress," and it’s all about process, I reckon. It’s like she's thinking through making as she goes. The drawing has this great, raw quality—you can almost feel the hand of the artist on the paper. The dress, rendered in brown with a black lace overlay, feels so tactile. The black lines aren't just decorative, but really give the impression of texture and depth. Notice that sketch of another dress in the background? I love that Crimi lets us see her working it out, the bare bones of the garment sitting behind the bolder image of the dress itself. Crimi’s got that outsider art energy that reminds me of Bill Traylor. Like him, she transforms something ordinary into something deeply personal. It's a reminder that art doesn't always need to be slick or polished—sometimes it's the rough edges that make it real.