I have signed up to be part of the Art House Co-Op Sketchbook Project 2011. I'm really taking the plunge as a fibre artist. I realised recently that that is what I am - an artist who works in fibre. Most of my work is costume and clothing and it's showcase has been theatre. Now I want to get my work out into the rest of the world.
I haven't exhibited anything since collage so this is a big deal for me. I've got until January 12th to get my Sketchbook done and the theme is Jackets, Blankets & Sheets - apt for a stitcher, don't you think?! Each page is going to be a stitched panel based around a word I brainstormed around the theme. I'm super excited about it!
As soon as I have photos of the pages I'll post them here so you can see them and you can let me know what you think. For now, wish me luck!
Check out my Sketchbook Project Profile Page here
While I was in Boston I had the chance to catch Burlesque, the new movie with Cher and Christina Aguilera.
As a big musicals fan, I loved this movie! My friend described it as a combination of Coyote Ugly and Chicago. Cher and Christina both sing their faces off and the soundtrack is super catchy. I particularly enjoyed the song that samples Marilyn Manson’s Beautiful People and Cher’s You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me.
Think the costume designer used Dita Von Teese’s Burlesque sourcebook as his main inspiration for the look of the movie. To me, a bunch of the costumes seemed to be lifted right out of her wardrobe, just tweeked a little for Christina. That’s not to say they were bad, anything inspired by the delectable Dita is of course going to be wonderful.
I was glad that they kept the notion that Burlesque is not about being naked – it’s about the illusion of nakedness. I was concerned they would miss it out, but they didn’t.
Overall a very entertaining movie, great musical scenes and some awesome actors in here – go see it!
The final exhibition I went to see at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston was in its new Art of the Americas wing. Embroideries of Colonial Boston: Samplers, is the first of three Embroidery exhibitions being held throughout the end of this year and the next. Unfortunately I do not believe I will be able to see the others, but this one was well worth it.
I have read about samplers in The Subversive Stitch, but to be able to see them first hand was breathtaking. The stitches are so tiny and neat, the depictions of bible scenes, animals and motifs intricate.
I was particularly taken by some of the mottos embroidered into the samples, which I will share with you here:
Martha Decosta is my name New England is my nation Boston is my dwelling place and Christ is my Salvation
When I am dead and laid in grave and all my bones are rotten in this you see remember me and let me never be forgotten
Sampler by Martha Decosta 1749, Boston Mass.
In prosperity friends will be plenty : but in adversity not one in twenty
Sampler by Hannah Storer, age 8, 1747 Boston, Mass.
O may I always ready stand with my lamp burning in my hand : May in sight of Heaven rejoice whener I hear the bridegrooms voice
Sampler by Prudence Clarke, 1757
If you are in the Boston area for any of the embroidery exhibitions I urge you to go see them. They are very well presented and the information with them is astounding!
The second exhibition I went to see at the Muesum of Fine Arts, Boston was Scaasi: American Couturier. This small exhibit showcases the designer’s made to measure work through four of his clients, including Barbra Striesand.
I am ashamed to say I had not heard of Scaasi before, however several of his pieces were recognisable. His use of fabrics really caught my eye. He was not afraid to use bold colours or textures in his work. Several of his pieces from the 1980s oppitimised the time and styles of the period. His pieces for Barbra Striesand emphasised her character and quirkiness while still being elegant and stylish. Scaasi was also not afraid to use new materials of the time. Several of his dresses display plastic beading and metallic lace.
Though there were few pieces in this exhibit I enjoyed it immensely. I have discovered a new designer that I must research further. His combinations of fabrics and trims were inspired and I am a particular fan of his bold use of colour.
Currently my ship is in Dry Dock. This means they take the ship right out of the water and make improvements and repairs to it. My ship is about 6 years old now so this is a routine dry dock, not an emergency or anything!
Luckily for me, we are dry docked in Boston, one of my favourite places! I also discovered that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has three exhibitions going on at the moment that I really wanted to see: Avedon Fashion 1944-2000, The fashion photography of Richard Avedon, Scaasi: American Couturier, select fashions by Arnold Scaasi and Embroideries of Colonial Boston: Samplers, a selection of Samplers from the 18th Century. I will post about each one individually, so lets begin with the fashion photography of Avedon.
Avedon began his photographic career in the army taking id photos but after World War two he was thrust into the work of fashion. He has photographed covers for Haper’s Bazaar and Vogue and was the first resident photographer for the New Yorker. His use of light and focus is astounding. Most of the work on display was tradition black and white, which Avedon used to his advantage emphasizing shapes and silhouettes on the models. His photos of Suzie Parker are always playful, showing real people, not just models.
He was challenged to show the original beauty of Paris while it was still in its post-war stages, which he did to remarkable effect. His photos in the Moulin Rouge, Cirque D’Hiver and on the street brought Paris back to life.
One of my favourite sets of photos in the exhibition was one of the most modern. In colour and using a live model and a skeleton, Avedon photographed haute couture against a wasteland backdrop. The pieces are lingering and emotional in an unspeakable way.
Most of all Avedon’s work is simple and clean. His shots are not always in focus, but that is part of their beauty, capturing the movement of the woman inside the fashion. His pieces bring out the inner beauty of his subjects to compliment themselves and what they wear.
