With a deeply personal connection to weaving, Lenore Tawney’s craft was not an exercise in patience, but in devotion. Some of her works have even been called “altars of meditation” for their quiet spirituality. “Spring Thaw” is a fine example of the delicate and ethereal quality of her work. The background is creamy white, with an irregular and abstracted diagonal line moving from the lower left to the upper right corner. As the line traverses the weaving, shades of purple, green and blue bleed horizontally across the work. “Spring Thaw” is a depiction of seasonal (and perhaps spiritual) awakening: the earth begins to thaw, and nature’s resilience prevails.
Jacqueline Sullivan is a graduate student in the History of Decorative Arts and Design program at the Cooper Hewitt. She is currently a Master’s Fellow in the Textiles Department.