Kira c. 20th century

This "Kira," or woman’s skirt, shimmers with horizontal bands of colour, woven by an anonymous artist with incredible skill. I'm thinking about the maker, sitting at a loom, looping yarn over and under, a process of trial, error, and intuition. It's so impressive, really, the subtle shifts in color and texture – like a painter mixing hues on a palette. I can imagine her, or him, thinking, "What if I put this orange next to that green? Or add a little zigzag here?" The result is like a painting, but instead of brushstrokes, we have these tiny woven threads. Each one is a decision, a gesture. And together, they create a visual poem that hums with energy and life. It makes me want to get back to the studio, pick up a brush, and start slinging some paint around, with that same kind of dedication. Don't you?