Art
warholaville
Wishing Andy Warhol a posthumous “Happy Birthday” on the evening of a lovely summer’s day. The artist would be 85 today; I wonder what he would think about our society and the present celebrity culture that he helped to elevate through his work. This is one of my favorite photographs of Warhol, and I hope someday to frame it and stick it on my wall. Cause Andy, you’re a star.
(Photo, via Taylormade Interiors)
ruminating on mark rothko
Lately I’ve been fascinated by Mark Rothko‘s abstract paintings, although I’m not exactly sure why since I’ve known about the artist for quite awhile. Rothko’s large, bright canvases and creation of “multiforms”—a phrase coined by art critics—were met with mixed reviews in the late ’40s when he first debuted them. Some found his paintings a revelation, while others believed their grandiose scale was substituting for a lack of subject matter.
Discovering his signature style later in life imparts a maturity to the paintings which is also felt in the spiritual, enveloping quality Rothko intended. Though it’s up to the viewer to extract his or her own emotional response from each piece, I believe the question one should ask while reflecting upon Rothko’s work is not what or why, but how.
in your pretty little bed
Today, I’m very excited to share with you all a taste of my poetry and collage art. I’ve been wanting to post some creative writing for awhile now, but haven’t felt inspired in forever and didn’t want to force anything. As for the art portion, I frequently use Photoshop and Polyvore out of convenience for product compilations, but whenever I feel truly motivated I sit down and create things by hand.
I wrote the poem last week, and finally found time yesterday to make a collage based off of it. With basic themes and ideas in mind, I went to work sifting through magazine tears, three-dimensional embellishments, and instant photos that I’d taken to ensure a really unique composition. It definitely didn’t turn out the way I thought it would (and I’m not sure it fits the poem perfectly) but I still like it strangely enough. I hope to expand on this writing-inspired mixed media art in the near future, so…
Let me know what you all think, I’d love to hear thoughts, feelings, et cetera. 
botanical metropolis
For my final Fashion Design class project, we were instructed to produce inspiration books using photographs we’d taken ourselves. The central idea of the project is to study shape, form, silhouette, and proportion. I decided to use photos of the botanical garden from my last Hawaii trip and of plants around my home in Calistoga for my book, and combine them with my own drawings and collected decorative papers. We’re only a few weeks into the project, so I will definitely post more examples of my collage and art work in the future, but I wanted to give a sneak peek of what I’ve been working on lately.
I’ve been ruminating on the theme of my collection, and though it is subject to change, I’m envisioning a Botanical Metropolis: a futuristic approach to organic shapes in an urban setting; a dystopian society masquerading as a utopian one; a demolished city reconstructed in the heart of a jungle and overrun with flora. Suppressed idealism, perhaps.
In the weeks to come I’ll share more of the project as it develops, including fashion sketches, fabrics, finishes, details, and renderings. I will also be posting photos of my last project—six designs inspired by a country—in its entirety, from sketchbook to finished fashion collection. But for now, enjoy four original compositions of my own creation.
(Above, “Future Burnout”)
color me captivating
Inspired by…
A Blogger user since July of 2007, Ireland-based Kat of She’s in Vogue has served as a beacon of inspiration for me since I discovered her site this past month. With signature curly locks and a vintage appeal, her personal style is ladylike but experimental. Though heavily laden with photos, her blog is filled to the brim with compelling content. Kat has an intelligent voice and is culturally knowledgeable, drawing a connection between contemporary fashions, film, and art history.
Her own watercolor portraits are fluid and filled with character, showcasing her talent as an artist. Her use of color, composition, line quality, and movement are all particularly fascinating to someone who is obsessed with fashion illustration. These paintings are visible in Kat’s outfit posts; behind her, faces cover the walls and peer out into the lens alluringly. She rarely blogs about her artwork, but I wouldn’t mind a whole website devoted solely to her masterpieces. Kat’s portrayals of Jessica Stam, Audrey Hepburn, Sasha Pivovarova, Isabella Blow, and other renowned fashion figures motivate me to draw (and potentially paint, though I have little experience with painting) and try my hand at assorted mediums.
My drawing of Jana Knauerova was achieved with Prismacolor Premier markers, Tombow brush pens, and Portfolio Series oil pastels in a recycled hardcover Utrecht sketchbook. I’m currently obsessed with the oatmeal-colored paper since you can use white in your design, which is an unexpected element when we’re all used to seeing white as a backdrop.
(Jessica Stam and Isabella Blow illustration photos, via She’s in Vogue)
