it all started seven years ago . . . .

wedding dress (brenda's dress) 

the beginning of the dress project

it all began on wells beach, me. in 2006. i had an idea of an image of a dress and while walking on the beach one morning i picked up a stick to see what this 'dress' would look like.  i drew a sleeveless, life sized dress and  filled it in with the beautiful beach rocks & then proceeded to let the high tide take it away ~ giving me a new, clean canvas on which to make another dress.  the process felt so right and so gratifying that for the rest of the vacation i made a dress!  & each day i would walk the beach with no preconceived idea and would just listen to which material i was to use that day... 

(from www.virginiafitzgerald.com, 

click HERE for photogallery)

It all started, innocently on 

a family vacation, 

in Wells Beach, ME.

A broken glass, 

a sea of drowning ladybugs 

and a nagging thought 

lead me to create 

the DressProject.  

Follow this link to read 

Helen Prunty Krispien's article: 

Drowning ladybugs lead to fascinating art project, 

(for more about ladybugs and dresses)

Since then I have created hundreds of dresses, 

in a myriad of media and materials.

Some in unique locales:

dress #3 from wells beach, me.

new york diner dress (2006)

I have made LARGE dressese

this installation centered around an 8 foot tall dress of eggshells 

'this comes from within' medicine wheel productions (2009)

and I have made small dresses 

abc dress (2006) about 1 inch square

some dresses have a message:

'in memory of  . . . .' (2008) in private collection

made with plaster tape, dog tags and photos of soldiers 

honoring those who died in Iraq.

'ripple' (2010)

a drawing that I contributed to a charity 

raising money to help the gulf after the BP oil spill.

I have made ephemeral dresses and dress sculptures

 which reside in public and private collections.

'lush' (2009) in private collection

And 7 years later, the desire to make dresses is just as unrelenting as it was in Wells Beach.

The dress continues to inspire me to venture into new realms of expression;  performance, installations and collaborative art.

'metamorphosis' (2013) made with the Dana Hall student body

The dress has lead me to

my dresstagging practice

the world of greeting cards and

my daily dress inspiration blog (dressblog).

one of the first dresstags, portsmouth, NH

dresscard  - soon to be for sale on Etsy

I have made dresses out of plaster, plastic bottles, VCR tape, 

fresh pasta, shells, maps, clothes pins, 

fall leaves, dog hair, ribbons, 

even nail polish . . . Nothing is safe!!!

winding roads (2011) paper-mache, paint, marker 

'cicada' (2012) mixed media painting on panel

'time to take flight' (2012) mixed media collage, part of the 'home sweet home' series

With the dress I discovered my voice,
the dress became my soapbox from 
which I could initiate a dialogue,
engage in political debate, 
question social protocol and
excavate my authentic self.

thank you

And I thank you for your continued interest 

in my dress obsession, 

your company and support has made 

this journey all the more gratifying. 

peace

my long love affair with the ephemeral . . .

summertime

It was almost SEVEN years ago that I fell 

under the spell of the dress form;  

August 2006, on a family vacation at Well Beach, ME. 

It was there that I began to see the possibilities of dress in everything that I saw.

departure (2006) 

I started on the beach, creating dresses, then letting the high tide take them away, 

leaving me with a fresh canvas the next day!

Since then I have a special place in my creative soul for ephemeral dresses. 

huh??? you want to do what????

And with my current state of affairs I am not in my studio much, so I am finding my creativity seizing any opportunity to create and again I am making dresses out of anything that I can find!!! 

Such as Scruffy's fur! 

Für scruffy

What started out as a simple act of relieving Scruffy of some of his abundance of fur in this intense heat,  gave me wondrous clumps of fur (hair, really) that I immediately saw as components for a dress.

I love how the natural curls created swirls and movement in the dress.

'summertime' one day later

Another aspect that I love about process 

of the ephemeral dresses is how the dresses

 disperse back into the elements.

Some of the dresses are small, it all depends on the materials that inspire me.

Like this petite dress on the shores of Lake Sunapee, NH.

I was entranced by these fallen leaves, forecasting the upcoming autumn.

'sizzzzzzzzle'

the deconstruction of 'sizzzzzzle'

Nothing is safe - 

here I was inspired by a the leftover bacon 

grease in my beloved cast iron skillet.

I don't worry, Scruffy didn't get much of the dress ~

I was photographing it and had to run into the house.

At this point Scruffy saw his opportunity, but it was brief

(although I did need to capture the moment on film)

'Nothing is permanent but change'.HERACLITUS

me and uteri . . .

these past weeks I have been struggling ~ for one of the first times that i can remember i didn't have that delicious and overwhelming desire to make art, nor did i have direction?? or vision; i had more of a dread.  and i missed my inner idea machine whirling in my soul, and i worried that i had lost "it" ~ (not a feeling i would wish on anyone)

knitted wire uterus

but then,  thanks to the wonders of the universe/serendipity, i have rediscovered that happy whirling dervish was back. and why?? most likely because of a number of factors, but I believe the main reason was a 'fat quarter' of fabric that i received in the mail, a 'fat quarter printed with uteri, which is part of the Exquisite Uterus project,  started by artists and educators Alison Gates and Helen Klebesadel.

What is the Exquisite Uterus Project?  It is a fabulous collection of fiber based artworks that have been created to give voice to shared outrage at ongoing attacks on access to good and affordable reproductive healthcare for all women.  Started in early 2012 in reaction to the what is still being called the most current ‘War on Women,’ two artists, known notorious Feminists, and sometime curators Helen Klebesadel and Alison Gates decided to facilitate a collaborative art project to channel their shared outrage at the attacks on women's ready access to quality general and reproductive health care of their choice.

womb wrap, 2009 - 2011

A fellow artist, the lovely Jeanne Williamson,  sent me the link to the call for artist's and before i could even think i ordered my quarter.  this also got me on the spoonflower website which is quite exciting in itsself - and i even created gift wrap with my dresstags and other products, always inspiring!!

Yet it was the arrival of the faric that seems to have jumpstarted my muses.  suddenly my brain is flooded with different images, techniques and methods with which to create my contribution to this project.  I vacillated between an angry uterus and an over the top beautiful uterus, in fact I could do an entire show with all the ides I have for this project! And I am proud and happy to say that my sweetie, Harriet,  may  also be contributing a uterus!!!

frida, 2010

You can view many of the beautiful and creative uteri that other artists from all over have already contributed on pinterest, here is the link to the boards.  And I will post my finished uterus soon!!!

But as i sketched and pondered how to fashion and construct my uterus I was struck by the realization that uteri have been an consistent element in my body of work for many years, and they still are.  the uterus is a symbol of the wonders of creation, of mystery and pain, and the uterus is a serious political minefield. No wonder I am so inspired and attracted to it! This is our core, our strength and i am proud to celebrate this organ and be part of this tremendous project!

Thank you Alison Gates and Helen Klebesadel.

peace

wire dress, 2008

When despair for the world grows in me . . .

hot rock dress, dover, ma

The Peace of Wild Things

BY WENDELL BERRY

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

 

Wendell Berry's poem is one of my favorites ~ 

one that stays near in my memory banks, one that has inspired me.  

This past week I found myself hampered by a gray cloud. Be it from an unbearable heat wave, unfathomable craziness in the news, personal and financial stress; I don't know. 

I do know that I was feeling lost and overwhelmed.  

So one morning after dropping the car pool off at camp I stopped at a pond near the camp.  

I have driven by this pond for the past four years, always thinking that i wanted to stop there, it looked so lovely and peaceful.  

Well last week I did.  I didn't have a job to go to until later, I had some free time, 

so I turned my car into the drive.

 

When I got out of my car I saw the blue heron, so beautiful, so peaceful & quiet. It was then that Berry's words sprung into my mind,  suddenly I was living the poem.

i found a peace by the still water, even in the blazing sun. Suddenly the pressures and stresses of my life diminished a bit in my mind.  

 

As i walked the perimeters of the pond, noting the beauty of the lily pads and the flight of the dragonflies, i found this parched picnic table in a sea of hot pebbles and was inspired.  

Making an ephemeral dress is always therapeutic for me.  I get lost in the act of creating with little thought of the finished product, just finding the right material to create the dress. 

The dress that emerged i am calling, my 'hot rock' dress, 

sitting in the blazing hot sun, in the presence of still water, in the grace of world.

Here, i found a peace! and for that I am sooooo thankful!!!

peace

Dress Project, return engagement, Natick Mall . . .

a table of dresses

I am so happy and honored to be the guest artist at the store, Uni-T, at the Natick Collection.

 Uni-T is the creation of Eujin Kim Neilan, a wonderful artist and illustrator. In her beautiful shop she paints, silkscreens and sells her work, a dreams that I have often entertained - shop/studio!! Along with her own work,  Eujin generously brings in the work of other artists every month. This month she has graciously offered the opportunity to me :) So once again the Dress Project is a the Natick Mall!!

from 2008

The first time was in February of 2008. That time I brought 4 of my sculptural dresses and exhibited them in the atrium of the mall. The Red Alert Cocktail was one of the four. Since then the Red Alert Cocktail Dress has made the rounds - numerous venues around Boston, Teaneck, NJ, Providence, RI and the Boston Children's museum, to name a few places. And wherever she goes she is a show stopper :) 

So now Red Alert is holding court in Uni-T's shop window, beckoning people in to check out a table of dresses: dresscards, dressphotos, dressmats and some original dressart!!

I must confess it is heartening to see all my work together and out in public. Recently life has pulled me away from my studio practice, something I thought would never happen.  but to see all the different pieces working together is buoyed my anxious creative self.  So I am truly thankful to Eujin for the opportunity!! 

set of 6 cards, images from my mixed media collage series,
 home sweet home

some of my original mixed media dresspaintings on panel

photos, photo notecards and so much more

signing the wondow

Eujin signing the window

statement from 2008 exhibit - it still works!!

4x6 framed dressmat

some pondering on how things connect . . .

As some of you may know I have started another 'blog' called 'daily dress inspirations' (ddi).  for the past few weeks every day I have posted an image with a good intention and/or quote, and I am loving the entire process.

It has become almost selfish; a morning ritual, a 'meditation' of sorts.  As I am going through my morning routine ~ girls to school, dog walked,  to-do lists and accessing the pending day,  I take a moment to quiet myself and listen to what kind of good intention I need and that is the intention I put out there. I then find an image and a quote and post them.

dressmat

This blog started, as many of my projects/ideas do, from my need to learn about something. This time I needed to figure out FB groups for one of my social media clients, and for me, the best way to learn is by doing. So I created a FB group in which its members would get  a daily post, and I have always thought that my dresstags were a perfect vehicle for a daily message.

Now I didn't want to be exclusive to those not on Facebook so I started posting the same dress/quote of the 'ddi' blog.  So that is the story behind the starting of the ddi blog, which I am sharing here today because there is a story behind today's posting, that I want to share.

Haney, can't hear you

It is nothing major but I thought, interesting. It highlights an 'inter-connective'ness of things.

dailydress for Lisa
Barthelson birthday

This morning, working Scruffy (my early bird dog) I was pondering the day and stressing about my pending gallery show, this October at Fountain Street Fine Art.  The opportunity of exhibiting it awesome and this space is beautiful.  Also I have asked a wonderful artist, Anne Gilson Haney to exhibit with me (LOVE her work!! I  own 2 of her pieces!!).  So this is all good! However I am not sure if I will be ready!!!

Lisa during her artist talk

Some may know, I am in the process of getting divorced (yes, I am still  not officially divorced) And with this new state of affairs I have needed to get back out in the paycheck world to support me and two teen-age girl$$$.  So I am juggling 4-5 hourly jobs, mothering two amazing girls, and making a home for the three of us.  This is all good ?!?! :) 

but I have not had time for my art.  My studio has become a storage unit for the overflow of stuff when moving from a house to an apartment.  So when thinking about my up-coming show I have can freak out!!

the daily dress journal began as
a flat moleskin plain book

However I am blessed with amazing and supportive friends. This week I sat down with awesome artist, Lisa Barthelson, and she talked with me about my show.  

She just had a beautiful exhibit last month at FSFA, and offered to give me some guidance.  I laid out the 'work' that I have been able to to do between the hustle and bustle of my current life and she saw a show?!?! One that is based on the work I am doing NOW; similiar to my daily dress journal that I  did in 2011 when I was substituting at Dana Hall and working to keep a marriage together.  The daily dress journal was based on my daily activities - using receipts, wrappers and whatnots that caught my attention during the course of the day.

the journal once I filled each page

I have been playing with this idea myself, it makes sense! And I love the work of artists who have documented their daily lives: Danica Phelp and Kate Bingaman-Burt and her Obsessive Consumption series. Yet I had y doubt, yet with Lisa's encouragement and in her presence, I felt inspired and capable.

daily dress #16

However a day or so later (yesterday) I was back to discouraged and confused, in comes another dear friend.  and as good friends do she gave me another perspective; she suggested seeing if I could move my show to a later date, when I may be more prepared and better able to produce work that won't raise the authenticity critic?!? A novel thought?! One, that in my busy, what-is-next mode, I hadn't considered.  I am not one to pass on any opportunity but maybe this is the time?!?!?

So this morning, during my rainy walk with my boy, I was working through all these possibilities and knowing I was heading to another job at 10 this morning.  As my head whirled I thought about my daily dress inspirations ~ another task that I have added to my day, and one that does even pay?!?!? But as I said above it is helpful to me.  So I stopped and meditated on what aspiration I needed today and what came was 'clarity'.

Clarity in the decision to do the show or not.

Clarity about what I will show if I do exhibit!!

Clarity on how I spend my time.

Yes clarity was what I needed today.

So my wet dog and I came home and  I looked up clarity quotes. There are many out there.  

But the one that struck me as so totally appropriate is by Melody Beattie:

Live your life from your heart. 

Share from your heart. 

And your story will touch 

and heal people's souls.

And this is the reason for this entire blog post - how interconnected things can be. Here I needed clarity about my show and decided that clarity would be my daily intention.  

While looking for a 'clarity' quote I find this one that speaks so profoundly to me about my art work and the issues that I am struggling with about my show!! 

My art is my life! My art is my heart. My art is sharing, sharing my vision of the world.  I love to highlight the simple beauty in our everyday.  I have always been drawn to the beauty is what many people cast aside ( I had a business for 7 years using used bottle caps to make jewelry).

Yesterday I read an article about age and artist and saw this quote by Faith Ringgold:

 from ART news: ‘You Become Better with Age’ by Hilarie M. Sheets

“Being an artist is a way of life,” says 82-year-old Faith Ringgold...“It’s not about ‘I’m going to major in this and get my degree, and then I’ll go to work, and then I’ll retire.’ It is something one has a passion for, does, and then becomes—and can do it literally until they pass away. ..."

 I could not agree more - art is my life, my passion. So that is my story that I will share in October, my current story, my daily story. Now how it will present itself . . .well, stay tuned.

today sees the miracles . . .

“There are only two ways to live your life. 

One is as though nothing is a miracle. 

The other is as though everything is a miracle.” 

Einstein