October Dress-up Catch-up submission!

You'd think that since I'm the hostess of the Dress-up 2011, I would be able to keep up with all the other fabulous participants... alas, this has not yet proved to be true!

However, I have just completed October: Steam Punk and have more than half the month to finish November: Classical or NeoClassical....can I catch up with you guys?

I borrowed some style from the impeccable Mr. John Peacock (again) and modeled my dress loosely on this illustration:

Next, I checked out this fantastic book from the Lawrence Public Library on the history of clocks and time keeping devices through out history:

Have I mentioned how much I love my job? You'd think that I just now discovered the riches a library can hold... more like renewing an old love I suppose... It's just as exciting to search and discover information as when I was set loose to roam the Boulder Public Library when I was very young.

But I digress, back to the project...
Here are just a few of the 20 or so pages i bookmarked for the project:

So much artistry and engineering and precision went into the completed pieces - even the illustrations are stunning.

I had great plans to incorporate steam engines and clock works and all sorts of steam punk/sci fi stylings into this dress, but became enamoured with just the clocks and filigrees and gears and wheels....

She's about 17 inches tall; white colored pencil and white acrylic paint on black craft paper.

I hope you like her!

Have a great week
Creatively yours,
Liza

Dress Up October: Here is your Challenge!

Victorious Victorian....
October's dress-up challenge is to create a dress with a Victorian Flair - whether it be a steam-punk mix-it-up or a true-to-the-era reproduction, you will be creating a piece near and dear to my heart.

If I could have any job or do only one thing before I die, it would be to work in research and restoration of Victorian era extant costume.

I look forward to all the fantastic submissions with great anticipation!

Here is a perfect place to start: The Victoria and Albert Museum Fashion Section

Type "Steampunk Fashion" into your search engine and view the results in "images" and feast on all the creative combinations!

Have fun and leave your links below!

All the best,

Liza

May Dress Up Challenge: Submission

Yes.. Yes.. it is desperately late and I have not even started the June challenge, but this post will give me a good opportunity to show you what I've been up to in the mean time!

The Dress-up challenge for May was Rubens... now, I must say that researching dresses in the "Rubens" style is a bit challengeing, especially because a typical google image search looks a bit like this:

Notice anything? Like perhaps the LACK of CLOTHES?

Thanks Angela!!

Here are a few pictures of sumptious dresses I was able to find:

These beautiful dresses are dark colored, have full and layered skirts, low decolatage, billowing as well as slashed sleeves and ruff components.  My piece, alas, was not constructed with the same care, time, and historical accuracy that I expect from myself, however, it's made with 4 of the above details, so, I'm letting it pass!

It is mounted on a 5 x 7 glittery gold mat board over a picture of Versailles(?) Again, not accurate, but hey, what's artistic license all about anyway?!

This pattern piece construction is based on a couple of things..

One, I really wanted to use my new paper rosette style I found at:

http://www.craftedblog.com/2011/04/how-to-newspaper-canvas-artwork.html

Isn't that luscious?  right after I saw that on FB, I haaaaad to make something with paper and cut up the "reasons to visit" section of a map of NM and some newspaper strips left over from a Little Bostons Art Session.

This picture gives you a better idea of color of these cool 5 x 7 mat boards

(from clearbags.com http://www.clearbags.com/5-x-7-setup-board-assorted-matboard-drop.html) what a steal! 100 pieces for $5 bucks...

Anyway, I digress.... I searched in vain for a Rubens dress that would be purely rosettes 'cause I was in that kind of mood, but had to settle for just the one.

And two, I wanted to work with pattern paper some more...

This cute little dress is the tiny compatriot to some of the work I was doing for a show in KC on the first Friday in June.  Specifically, the last of the series of six life-size mannequin figures. (you may recall the teaser picture I posted in April http://mackomics-studio.blogspot.com/2011/04/artistic-update.html)

Here are some close-ups of the details with the full piece shown last:

Here is what they looked like on the walls at Krzyz Studio at 18th and Locust on June 3, 2011

The orange piece on the left has a multitude of layered flowers made from maps and netting sewn at the center with a bead, the blue and white one has a corset made from paintings of Spanish ships over a paper mache bust, and the fourth one sports record albums and Italian floor tiles for decoration.

The black piece on the left has a padded base and bust, a fitted top and a "bustle" made from various recycled fabrics.  The "steampunk brooch" detail is shown below.  The white piece has a padded base and bust, is made from a whitetablecloth and stiff tutu netting, as well as beads and feathers at the neck.

These are all life-sized and my inspiration was the concurrent "Eighteenth Street Fashion Show in Kansas City with the theme: Summer in Spain

This is the first large scale series I've ever made and it was challenging in many ways, not the least of which was my impatience with the prep work (jig saw, sanding, painting, attaching hardware) as my eyes and heart were only concerned with the prize of "Dressing UP"!!

Take care and thanks for taking a look.  Please stroll over to Angela's wonderful blog at

http://www.sewloquacious.blogspot.com/ to view all the other lovely May Dress-up Challenges and quite possibly all the June ones as well!

Artistic Update

What's happening?
Too much, I tell you, too much. I suffer from the disease of over commitment...
Here's a few things I've been working on....all the while NOT attending to important things like:
A Business Plan
Goals
Product/cost analysis
Budget planning
you name it, if it's related to big picture planning and strategic thinking, I'm not there!

In the mean time, I've donated a year of cards to benefit Hope Harbor Catholic Charities,

donated a red plaid Chibi-head to the the BT Cruisers who are raising money for Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue , and

Painted a pot for the Van Go Mobile Arts annual benefit,

 

I finally started the life size mannequin project (thanks Tami for the use of your band saw!),

I'm now in the 6th week of Little Bostons: an art class for very young people, where we've worked primarily in beginning bookmaking, but have also branched out into painting and collage, here is the brochure!

I finished up bookbinding class a couple of weeks ago and have made a few more books since then....

also my niece Ruby made this fabulous green velvet board book for her father,

Speaking of Ruby, she and I are sharing a show space in the Lawrence Public Library, where She has these great multi-media shadow box creations,

and I am showcasing some of my prints from the Prokrasso workshop and my new painted albums,

I've been accepted into the Strawberry Swing Festival in July and the organizer is putting together some lovely treasuries of our creations on Etsy,

Pretty much every day, I wake up feeling like I'm losing the race, that I'm already behind.... no matter how much I get done or how many things get crossed off the list.  I know it's just a mindset and that achieving a feeling of inner peace probably means being LESS productive and having more of a balance to my activities.  With that said, I'm still excited to report that since most days I am lucky if I can make about 20 cards or so, the other day I got on a roll and made 60 Apron cards! a record setting day... 

and yesterday (and a little of today, and with the help of my Intrepid and Lovely assistant: Ruby) I completed 41 hair accessories.  Now why can't I do all that EVERY day?! (plus mothering, dog training, cold calling, business planning, shopping, laundry, etc. etc.!)

You've got to love the direction she's steering this batch... very grunge, steam punk, petite.

We really got into burning the edges and she experimented with alternative fabrics including lace - achieving these really interesting effects.

Much of this is in anticipation of two upcoming shows: Art in the Park, May 1st at South Park in Lawrence and the two day extravaganza: Kansas Sampler Festival on May 8th and 9th in Leavenworth.

Have a great week!

And.... become a fan on Facbook!!