While I was looking up images of Iris to work from I came across so many of her quotes that were inspirational to me...now, you probably know this one...my favorite...
Yeah, she did say that, and I love it...but she had many, many more 'gems' so I felt compelled to include some here on my blog...and I gotta be honest, my wheels are spinning at frightening speeds with ideas based on Iris Apfel and what she has to say about fashion...
And here is my daily art, inspired by the one and only Iris Apfel. I put her in a pair of emerald green palazzo pants with sequinned embellishments and a black feather coat, also with some sequin accents. Under the coat she is wearing a black turtle neck with a turquoise necklace and a gold necklace and has a large jeweled brooch on her shoulder. I included her signature owl-eye glasses, too. Now, I tried to find out- does Iris have a pet? I couldn't find anything about a pet...but I really wanted her to have a cat...cause Miss Matchy Matchy and Jewel both have a cat...and I have cats...and cats are awesome. So I gave her a mini-leopard and called it a day. Okay...here's the thing. I don't know if I can part with this series. I...just...I can't. I love it too much. So I don't know the details, but there will be more pieces. I don't know how many...might not be every day...but...I have to make more. I have to. Besides finishing up my 'last piece' in the series (again...NOT the last piece!) I also made a trip down to Hollywood to handle some art-related business. Sharon over at Gallery 2014 wanted me to make sure my February '13 and '14 pieces were good to go since they are perfect for Valentine's Day. (so stop by Gallery 2014 and check them out...heck, buy'em!) I also picked up my work from Sally over at SMASH Beauty Lounge...waiting to see if the pieces might be relocated to a new location...in the meantime I have a bunch of eye paintings and a dress form wearing a wedding dress made of recycled Art Hive Magazines in my car.
No big deal. I was inspired to create a bridal-themed piece for day 30 of this series. My inspiration came from a couple of places...
I thought I had posted about all the DIY elements in our wedding...but maybe I didn't. I will do that maybe some other time...but let's just say our wedding was FULL of small details...I hand painted our invitations, response cards, programs and the 'reserved' signs for some of the tables...did my own bouquet with hand-wired aurora borealis crystals and accent brooch, lil' mini bouquets for the cake toppers, made our own CD wedding favors...and I even did my own bridal portrait painting. Kinda crazy when I look back on it, but it was mainly of out of necessity; we paid for our own wedding so we had a limited budget...but I also wanted to have those personal touches. #WeWasJustBabies For my daily art I basically used my bridesmaid/flower colors as inspiration: periwinkle and colors pulled from hydrangeas. And this is what I came up with: In piece #29 I started to experiment with adding some real fabric/trim elements to my work...and I kinda love how it turned out. When I see that tiny pink bow at her waist it makes me smile. I continued this idea with this piece, using some scraps of vintage lace and trim that I had, cutting them into the shapes that I needed, then adding crystals, pearls and clear beads on top of the fabric elements. The small aurora borealis crystal at her waist is a nod to my own wedding. The design of the bridesmaid gown for Jewel is my own creation, just a one-shoulder number with some gathering and lace/embellished detail.
But I gotta be honest. I kinda LOVE making these pieces. I am combining some of my favorite things...the female form...fashion...cats...sparkle...even some art history just for fun. And I don't know if I can let this series end. I am going to move on in February...I already have an idea that I am really BUZZED about (ummmm...so that was a hint!!) But I don't think I can leave this series. So you're probably thinking, 'no big deal- just make some more.' And you are totally right BUT...I have this insane need for everything to be in a structure of sorts...to tell you the truth when I took a detour and made the pieces below I was excited about them but...and now this may seem really lame...I was stressed about how to label/organize them. Yeah, really. So...I will be inside my own head today trying to figure out how I want to continue the MMM series but also move on to another theme...and also what the official last two pieces for the month will be.
To be continued... Still on a pearl kick and I am not one bit ashamed. I even through in some sparkle for good measure.
For pieces #27-28 I created two views of the same gown, worn by MMM's friend Jewel...and kitty Gem of course. In the first image the attached scarf is shown draped over the gown so you can only see some of the pearls and in the second view the scarf is moved to the back (note the pearl strap on the first image, that attaches around the back of the neck, blending in with the pearl neckline) When the scarf is on the back it reveals more pearls and light pink rhinestones. I only have three more pieces left in the series...not sure if I am going to do one more image of Jewel...or go back to Miss Matchy Matchy...but I am working on an idea of their 'Fairy Glam Mother' that I am kinda excited about...so...we'll see. Sorry, Venus- move on over. Today's piece is all about the birth of JEWEL...and Gem, her cat, of course!
This piece was inspired by the pearl kick that I have been on...made me remember that one time...when I was a DIY mermaid...hence the inspiration behind the green gown. And pearls always make me think of the ocean...which made me think of Botticelli's famous piece...which also reconnected with that lil' art history kick I was on...
So here are some more pics of Art Palm Beach. If you are local, you gotta go next year! ...and I may or may not know whose BEEhind all of those leopard print angels folks were finding all over Art Palm Beach...hmmmm...
Confession time... I love art history. Like...really LOVE it. And sometimes...well...sometimes I get just a little geeky. Sometimes...I am an #artNERD If you are also nerdy like me...feel free to click on the link below to find out more about the accessories pictured below...oh, and look! It's Miss Matchy Matchy's friend Jewel and her cat Gem...and looks like they just stepped out of Van Gogh's Starry Night! ...the nerdiness continued into Saturday. I paid tribute to my favorite artist, Gustav Klimt. I am participating in a FB Artist Challenge for fun and I posted pics of other projects I have created that are inspired by Klimt...posting those images below. I have posted some stuff on FB and Instagram about my show at Dada...pictures and what not...but I did want to include it on the blog. It was such a great night! All the hard work and the prep paid off! ...thank you to everyone that came out for my show at Dada in Delray! Seriously...it means so much! And thank you to my students for helping me make sure I was ready and attending my 'show preview'. Sharing my passion for what I teach...ART...yeah, that is important to me. |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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