Sunday, June 10, 2012

BUILDER SUE


BUILDER SUE
This is my favorite part of the process-designing and then building my wood base. I use a TRAMP ART technique of cutting & then layering flat pieces of wood shapes to create dimension.  (chapter 3)
I pull out my power tools, draw and then redraw my pattern until the proportions are perfect.  Viola', an ANGEL is born!



When I worked as a designer at ESPRIT in SF. in the 90’s, I couldn’t believe that I actually got paid, and paid well, to cutout PAPER DOLLS & then COLOR them in.  It was my childhood dream job coming true.  This new angel series brings me back to that time in my life.

Friday, May 11, 2012

a look into my thought process....

Yes, you can teach an old dog, ME, new tricks.
I often use my camera as a design tool. I will assemble my pieces into numerous choices, photograph them, and then upload them onto my computer to SEE what works best.  It reminds me of being in art school, University of Michigan & NYU.  We would pin up our work, step back and critique what was working, what was NOT and why.


In this case I am using a variation on a theme, an assortment of antique frames to FRAME the face.
Which one would you choose?

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Chapter 4, How I flunked out of Economics 101...


CHAPTER 4
My business degree, NOT
How I flunked out of economics 101 and ended up in the theatre…

My father and 2 brothers are business men- I am NOT!  While at the art school at the University of Michigan, my father encouraged me to take a few basic business classes. After a month of economics 101, my professor encouraged me to drop the course before I failed.  So now I had some extra time, so my mom, the artist, encouraged me to volunteer in the theatre.  I remember that day clearly, wandering into the costume shop for the first time.  The head of the Theatre Dept. greeted me with delight; I could draw, I could sew and I could use power tools- it was a perfect match!  It didn’t take me long to be the STAR student.  Not only was I encouraged to go to Grad. School in Theatre but the head of the Theatre Dept. made sure all the doors opened for me.  I got a few scholarships, but my heart was set on NYC- so I went to NYU.

My work is a product of all those years in the theatre.  My shrines are reflections of the model sets I would spend hours building, focusing on the smallest detail.  My dress series are direct responses from those years of studying the history of costume and then using that knowledge to tell stories.  My Italian series reflect my knowledge of historical places in different periods of time.

TIP: don’t always follow in your father’s footsteps, sometimes your mom’s prints will fit better

Anectdote:  even though your father appears smarter- your MOM might be right!



Thursday, May 3, 2012

I LOVE ANGELS!

I have angels who help guide me through this life.  When my heart is OPEN, I can hear them speak to me.  When I follow, everything flows beautifully.
I am beginning a new series called ANGELS!
Come take the journey with me:
Step 1- gather my palette.



Thursday, April 26, 2012

my MOSAIC DRESS obsession

OK- I am an addict, a mosaic dress making maniac!  It started when my mom suggested I mosaic a dress; she knew it would be addicting.  I guess having a MFA in Theatre Design at NYU Tisch school of the arts in COSTUME DESIGN, helps feed my obsession.  I have been CLASSICALLY trained in the details of fashion through the eyes of some of the most talented theatre designers.  I love fabric and the mixing of unusual materials to tell a story- that is what costume designers do, that is what I was schooled to know.  I use my antique china plates similarly to fabric, and the grout is like a dye bath which pulls my palette all together.
Here are just a few of my favorite pieces, ENJOY!


PS I am doing a limited series of 50, so eventually I will have to stop!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Samples for Sundance

I have been working like crazy putting together sample mosaic hearts for the Sundance catalog.  It is always FUN to work up a variety of pieces based on a color theme- in this case all the pieces are in Blue/White.


Wish me LUCK!