Patchwork Picture: "Gossips" c. 1938

Carmel Wilson made "Gossips," a patchwork picture, sometime in the 20th century. It's constructed from fabric scraps with a muted palette; faded pinks and blues cut into geometric shapes. It’s like a flattened collage, where the process is laid bare. Look at the way she’s used the material qualities of the fabrics: how the subtle differences in texture and pattern create depth and movement. Each stitch and seam feels deliberate, like a drawing in fabric. Notice the face of the figure to the right - each angular shape adds to the characters caricature. Wilson's commitment to the handmade, to the tactile and the imperfect, reminds me of the work of Bill Traylor, another artist who found beauty and meaning in the everyday. Like Traylor, Wilson transforms humble materials into something extraordinary. And in doing so, she invites us to see the world with new eyes, to appreciate the beauty of the unexpected, and to find meaning in the mundane.