we climbed, we conquered.

A few weeks ago, we walked to the top of Mt. Quandary. Here we are at 14,265 feet above sea level. This guy was also up there.

formulate

Fitting the form... a sort of architecture for the body. I've finished a few dresses in the past 2 weeks. One more in the works, preceded by a test dress... Altogether that's 5 dresses in a month. Not bad. I don't have photos of the wearers wearing these dresses as I don't expect them to do a photoshoot on their own time, but eventually, we'll have photos with these beautiful ladies.
In this picture, I'm wearing Malissa's dress because we happen to be the same size.

I do finally have the pictures of Kali in her dress (see last month's posting). She's a charm! We'll be starting sewing lessons this week! Anyone else want to learn to sew? Let me know.



Yesterday, a quick, stretchy, tube dress made in the morning in efforts to be comfortable all afternoon car-shopping. Done!

Conjured

Migration
40 needle felted birds
wool, alpaca, lama fibers
approx. 2 x 4 x 2 inches in dimension
2008-2009

click on images for larger view.

This installation of Migration at the Red Squared Gallery in Spring Green, WI is the first formal installation of the work. Passing through an invisible plane in space, the birds are simultaneously indicative of the immediate and gradual processes of change. Their color changes in one slice through space. The process of needle felting is hours of almost unnoticeable transformation. They are representative of the duality of change, always immediate and always gradual.

Thanks to Michael Desbarres and Ryan Hewson for creating the gallery, Red^2 and connecting the community of Spring Green to the community of contemporary artists and designers at Taliesin. Thanks also to Emil Crystal for his work in bringing this show together and organizing artists. If you are in South Wisconsin during this month of August, please consider visiting the gallery and the show.

conjure

This time next week, I'll be in Spring Green, Wisconsin setting up a show at my friends' gallery, Red Squared. Michael Desbarres and Ryan Hewson, recent graduates of Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, refitted an old auto parts store that covers 5000+ sf on two levels. They've organized a series of shows relating to art & architecture, the next of which is entitled CONJURE and will feature the artists who have come to Taliesin over many years.

My work on display includes MIGRATION, a collection of needle felted birds (seen on this blog over the past year). Indicative of invisible change, MIGRATION is conceptually and symbolically the slow process of change that is, however, immediate. The time spent in slowly felting the fiber using a single barbed needle is in line with meditation. Meditation is simultaneously an effort to cultivate stillness and a basis for progress and growth.

Also included is BREATHING ROOM, layers upon layers of translucent white paint and the transcribed syllables of the breath, are again a result of meditation – breathing and meditative mark making. The focus upon one’s breath, the sound and sensation of it, is a simple meditation technique here made visually apparent. The end product is a created atmosphere of stillness and the simple knowing of one’s living by breathing.

fit

Today's sewing accomplishment: Fancy jade dress. Like Fancy purple, this dress is made with a cotton/polyester blend, satin finish fabric. This version incorporates another tie at back to make wearing more simple. Keeping this dress simple, with embellishments centered on fit, is the goal in my design.

Shechet

Arlene Shechet's cast paper art works currently on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver are a brilliant change from the often color-lost, subject-heavy paper pulp work I relate to paper making. Often categorized as craft, paper-making rises to an honorable height with Shechet's work. Above, a detail of Shechet's paper work. Her colors, amorphous fields and fluid lines create depth and atmosphere with stunning clarity and simplicity. Shechet confidently gifts the viewer with continuity between upwards of 10 cast paper works keeping to the same pallet of color, texture and form. Go to MCA on 15th St. and Delgany St., Denver or their website to see more.

where have I been?

It seems I've been missing for almost a month... at least according to my holsumation posts. We did travel to Wisconsin for a week, which required working extra to prepare for being gone...
I did make a commitment to myself to make 1 dress every 2 weeks starting (when?) sometime in June. I made the dress for the Guggenheim opening and finished a dress started last year. I made a commission dress for a friend of mine, drawing here - photo of actual dress to come. That dress led to another dress for myself using a variation of the style she wanted. I finally had a reason to use the last of screen printed whale fabric I printed 2 years ago. Now I'm working on more dresses of that type for potential consignment in a Denver boutique. For these I'm using solid colors of a satin finished cotton/polyester blend. Next will come some Autumn oriented styles. All my styles are personally draped patterns (meaning, I'm not using patterns from an envelope at the store right now. If I do use them, I use them for reference).