Embroidery Needlepoint c. 1937

This is Eugene Croe's "Embroidery Needlepoint," made with thread, sometime before 1995, the year of his death. The systematic nature of the needlepoint creates a flattening effect, but also brings the whole image to the surface, making it somehow very present and immediate. Look closely at the ground the figure is standing on. Each little stitch is like a pixel, a tiny dab of color that builds up to create this meandering pathway, this idea of a place. The earth tones vibrate against the blues and greens, creating a lively and unstable surface. The needlepoint isn’t trying to trick you, instead it’s laying out the process. This reminds me of the paintings of Mary Delany, who made meticulously cut paper collages of flowers in the 18th century. Like Delany, Croe embraces the tactile, the handmade, and the beauty of slow, deliberate work. There’s a generosity in that kind of focus, an openness to seeing where the process leads, stitch by stitch.