Twisted Textiles

I’ve just posted this photo and a few other photos to my Flickr stream, so I thought I’d share it here as well. (I’m wishing for warmer weather right now, so seeing the sun and greenery in this photo makes me happy!)

The tutu is made from white Walmart shopping bags, fused together and then fashioned into a skirt that ties in the back, so it’s very adjustable.

The top is from a green mesh “corn sack” that I received from a local farm (ie, the bag that was used to transport corn). I usually pair the green tube top with the larger hoop-skirt that I made from tan Kroger bags. The necklace is made from clear plastic drink bottles. The boots…well, I haven’t started making shoes yet—but we’ll see about that!

Also, I’ve got a few exhibits to announce for the coming months:
“Wearable Art” at The Living Arts and Science Center’s Gloria Singletary Gallery, Feb 15th – April 2nd … and my Solo Show at the Anne Wright Wilson Fine Arts Gallery, Georgetown College, February 25th – April 8th.

I’m also planning to apply for several other art events going on in the Lexington area, so keep yer fingers crossed for me!

F.A.Q. About My Artworks
Because my work is a bit unusual, here are some quick answers to things you might be wondering…

Where do you get your materials?
Pack ratting, lucky finds on walks, anywhere I can find things other people have discarded. But I especially love it when people collect materials for me–I never know what new project will be inspired by the things I’m given.

How did you come up with this stuff?
My ideas come from the materials themselves. I very rarely plan out an entire project from start to finish. I sit down in front of a pile of materials that I’ve collected and just start playing with the objects until something starts to happen. At that point, I will start to envision what type of form the art will take, whether it’s an entire gown or just an accessory.

How do you put all these things together?
I mostly use a sewing machine, so I make a lot of “plastic fabric” by melting layers of plastic together with a household clothes iron. I also use a wood burner for etching and cutting plastic. I do a lot of melting things. I love using plastic, and it is very easy to cut, melt, bolt together, burn holes in. And it’s very durable and lightweight. And it’s everywhere you look! What I can’t fit into a sewing machine, I use different types of grommets and rivets to attach one piece to another. Wire and duct tape are also staple ingredients my art.

What does your art mean?
Obviously, I support reducing-reusing-recycling, but I’m not quick to get on a soap box about how terrible our pollution problem is. I recycle not only because it’s a good thing to do for the planet, but because I enjoy it and because it’s a challenge. I think about gender roles a lot, and sometimes I end up making a statement about feminism or what it might feel like to be in a different “skin” by wearing something that is normally not accepted in our culture. I have a strong belief in cultural relevance–that is, a person from one background can’t truly understand the workings of another culture. So I suppose that I’m simply tinkering with the associations we make between objects and what they symbolize. And tinkering with gender stereotypes along the way wherever I can.

Will you make something for me?
I’d love to! I often do commissioned works. Jewelry and bags are the easiest because they are more “onesize-fits-all.” Most of the clothes that I make are tailored to fit the measurements of a specific person. And since I collect so many materials, I can often readily make another article of clothing from the same or similar ingredients. Just ask, I love a good challenge!

This is a detail of a particular Quilted Painting that I’m dropping off today at the Lexington Art League — their annual Member’s Open show starts with a “4th Friday” celebration on July 24th! Each member of the Art League submits a piece to this show, which equals about 120 artworks in the exhibit.

My Quilted Paintings series is largely inspired by dreams, sketches, and mental images that come from reading novels and works of fiction. It’s all fair game…I’m attempting to express in two-dimensions anything that I can squeeze out of my mind-grapes and put into more concrete visual terms.

This particular work was the very first in the entire series, and has a partner piece (entitled Inspired by Fiction, Scene 2) which was purchased in early 2008. I was sad to see these two particular works part ways with one another, but ultimately each image can certainly stand alone, with the ability to be interpreted and valued as a separate entity from the original pair.

These Quilted Paintings have been a fairly regular exercise for me, and definitely a welcome change from more traditional painting techniques. It’s been a little over a year since I started these, and I have many in progess that I’m anxious to finish!

I have been bitten by the purse bug again. Or maybe it’s the change in the weather, reminding me that Spring is already OVER, and I haven’t been on track with my self-imposed deadlines. Either way, be prepared for purses.

Oh yeah—and be prepared for some new clothing projects too. I’m really anxious to hold a new photoshoot with my photographer, and I’m getting on my horse right now, this very minute!

I’m having a wonderful week in my Watercolor Workshop!

Yep…I bet you didn’t know it, but I’m learning how to “pour” watercolor paintings, taught right here in Scott County by Stefanie Vallee. Stefanie is not only a superb artist whose work is widely known and shown, but a wonderful and delightful person as well! She is one of those people that is so full of joy and wisdom that you can’t help but be inspired…I’m so glad to have the opportunity to learn from her. And being around the other dozen-or-so artists in the workshop has been a welcome change as well! She’s also doing a demo and talk on Saturday.

I’m really enjoying the spontaneity…in the new art technique/approach, and also in our class conversations and miscellaneous group adventures around town! I know that I’ll be able to apply this technique to my fabric art in the future.

The image above is a closeup of one of my paintings so far, which was “painted” by pouring color onto the wet paper, no brushes were used so far (except to apply the masking fluid to keep the white parts of the paper from absorbing color). When I remove the masking fluid, we’ll see how I feel about it. I’ve got some pencil marks in there that will have to be removed also (…oops). Maybe I’ll just leave it be, and not use any brush-work at all!

Next Page »