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

thank you Puffin Foundation!!!!

Last week the mail brought me good news; no, great news, phenomenal news. I received news that The Puffin Foundation is giving me a GRANT to create/finish my piece, ripple ~ Yahoo!!!! This is such exciting news!!! To receive a grant is such validation of one's work and vision, as well as a financial boom. This grant could not have come at a better time!!! My job at Dana Hall has come to an end and I have been dying to get back into the studio, but there is

always that ever-present incomegoblin.... but now I have something to feed him for a month or two :). So instead of looking ahead to a summer of employment uncertainty, I can plan a summer working away in my studio~ guilt-free (what will that feel like?!?)

The Puffin Foundation does great work ~ "continuing the dialogue between art and the lives of ordinary people." Their mission being..“ the Puffin Foundation Ltd. has sought to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy.”

And besides providing grants for artists, they also have wonderful exhibition spaceswhere they put on thought- provoking and provaocative shows. Currently at the Puffin Cultural Forum in Teaneck, NJ is the traveling exhibit, In the Bag. This show "traces the history of the reusable bag movement and presents creative alternatives to using plastic shopping bags, in cluding beautifully designed reusable bags made from billboards, juice boxes, rice bags, and discarded plastic bags."

I am proud to say, that for the exhibit in NJ the curator, Merri Milwe, invited me to show my Red Alert Cocktail dress, which I was happily did. The exhibit runs from June 3rd - July 21st.

I applied for a Puffin Grant to help me complete my piece 'ripple' (it's working name). 'ripple' is a newer rendition of my large dag tag dress which was called '3,000 and counting'. '3,000 and counting' (made in 2006-2007) was about the dead soldiers in the Iraq conflict - very literal. But I was never happy was the way that dress looked, the shape. So when the dress was finished being in the provocative show, A Call to Art at Gallery 55, Natick, MA, I brought it back to my studio and cut it in half ~ much to the chagrin of many. But I didn't like it and I knew it could be better.

As the pieces of the dress sat in my studio I was struggling with how i wanted to remake it. While in it's deconstructed state, the dress did 'spawn' two smaller and poignant dog tag dresses ~ "in memory of..." and " do they

know its Christmas?". Two dresses that have been shown a multitude of times, evoking much thought and conversation. But still, the large dog tag dress sat in disarray. I would work on it but still wasn't sure where it was going. By this point there were way more than 3,000 dead from this war ... did I get more dog tags to keep up with the death toll? But I realized it was about more than dead soldiers. As the time past I began more aware of how the affects of the war were so far-reaching ~ not just the dead and their families, but so much more ~ the child who has been shuffled around to different care-givers because of parents' military duty and stress of the co-worker of the girlfriend who was murdered by her boyfriend who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. The stories are many and I want represent that aspect of this crisis ~ the ripple affect of this conflict. So that is what I proposed to the Puffin Foundation and that is what they decided to fund!! So thank you Puffin Foundation, because this is no small undertaking, and to have your endorsement that you believe in this project enough to fund it it is priceless. below is the description that I included in the grant!

My project is to create a large, sprawling sculptural dress commenting on ripple effect that recent and past military involvement has on everyone ~ the soldiers, their loved ones, their families and children, workplaces and schools, communities and society as a whole. The repercussions are far reaching and the issues are complicated.

My proposed piece, “ripple” is its working title, is important in that it will facilitate dialogue about our continual engagement in military situations, and our dependency on a military economy. With “ripple” my goal is to have people stop, look, think, feel, engage and communicate.

This piece will build off the power and energy of an earlier work, “in memory of...”, which also addresses war. Made out of dog tags ‘decorated’ with photos of soldiers who have already given their lives, “in memory of...” provides a safe and scared arena for consideration of the sacrifices war demands. Its presence quiets many, and even brings some to tears. “ripple” will also consist of dog tags, along with beads, charms and other material to represent the nonmilitary.

My truth is simple. My voice is gentle, yet compelling. The ideas that I deal with are complex. I offer an alternative to fear-based thinking or even lack of thinking. My work elicits fresh thinking, engaging people to generate their own thoughts and opinions. With your funding I will have the means to bring “ripple” to fruition, a piece that fulfills the mission of the Puffin Foundation; “...continuing the dialogue between art and the lives of ordinary people.”

peace

the ripple continues....

My second donation to Kelly Light's Ripple Blog has found a home!!!! This little creature is on its way to Georgia!! And the site is doing GREAT! As of July 5th Kelly Light has raised over $7,400. And for the month of July she is offering "GREAT AMERICAN ILLUSTRATOR" CARDs which are illustrations by well known names ~ the 'cards' are a bit more money ($50) but worth it ~ great art, great cause!!!

Check out the schedule:

(note: all times EST!)

July 7th Mo Willems @ 6:30 pm - 8:30pm 4 cards available: 1@ each half hour.

Friday July 9th Stephen Silver @ 7:30 pm

Monday July 12th Stephen Marchesi @ 6:30pm

Wed July 14th Mo Willems Strikes Back @ 6:30pm - 8:00pm 4 cards:1 @ each half hour

Other artists to come: Dan Santat, Jarrett Krosoczka, Jeff Newman, Pascal Campion, Corey Godbey, Don Tate and many more surprises...

So check out the site - there is still many wonderful pieces for $10 and it is all going straight to the organizations that are cleaning up this mess!! ( I bought piece #695 by Stephanie Ruble).

peace

and the ripple continues......

Here is another contribution illustration for the ripple blog ~ it is a pen and ink, roughly 4x6. Also here is an update from the blog's creator, Kelly Light, about how helpful the site has been so far. I posted this write up as a comment on an earlier post, but I think it is important enough to have its own post! Just think ~ this site has raised over $5000. at $10 a pop!!! pretty cool, huh??

Hi Everyone at Illustration Friday! It's Kelly Light from the "Ripple" blog. I wanted to stop back and say a huge "THANKS!" to all of the Illustration Friday contributors who came to Ripple and donated their talent and time to help the Gulf Oil Spill animal victims. In one week Ripple went from having 100 cards to having 600 cards. We went from raising $1,000.00 to help clean oiled animals to more than $5,500.00 (as of 6/25). That figure keeps growing and the art keeps coming everyday. Artist from all over the globe showed up to throw their pebbles in. The messages they shared were of care and concern, anger and frustration and even hope for an end to this catastrophe. From across the United States the message was clear -- whether near a beach or not -- we need to do what we can to help. Small sketches, small donations that add up not only in dollars but in heart.
As a result of Ripple, I get personal updates from a woman cleaning birds in Florida with the IBRRC (one of the non profits Ripple helps). She said it takes 3 bottles of Dawn Dish Detergent to wash one bird. One $10 sketch card buys three bottles. So we have raised enough money to clean roughly 570 birds. I made a deal with myself to run this blog as long as the oil spills. I want the oil to stop now. But as long as it's flowing I'll be here and will welcome any new art submissions.
Thanks again to penelope and Brianna for the support, the huge hook up -- and the inspiration! ~Kelly

Ripple dress in going to Montana!!

I am so happy to announce that my contribution to the Ripple Sketch site was bought and on its way to Montana. I am also happy to say that the drawing was purchased by an another ceative soul, Tammie - 'a nature photographer and writer of poetry'. She has two inspiring blogs ~
beauty flows ~ http://beautyflows.blogspot.com/

&

spirithelpers ~ http://miztlee.blogspot.com/
Today's post on spirithelpers has some beautiful photos and poems ~ check out the strawberry!!

This has been quite a rewarding experience and I hope to contribute some more to the ripple site. As of 6/22 they have raised over $5000!!

I just returned from spending a day on the New Hampshire coast, soaking up the infinite beauty of the ocean. As I put my feet into the refreshingly cool, clean ocean water the enormity of the disaster in the gulf really hit me!!!! I am totally frustrated by the situation but by donating my drawing to the ripple site I don't feel totally helpless!! what is the saying, every little bit helps?!? So thank you Kelly Light for putting this site together and thank you all who have purchased artwork!!

I just hope that one thing that can come out of this crisis is a greater respect for mother nature and how we treat her!!

Also maybe we will think about riding our bikes more.....

thx & peace

illustration friday ~ ripple special

Ok - I am a week late ~ here is my illustration for last week's topic 'ripple'. But this was a special 'assignment' and I wanted to do something special ~ this illustration will be offered for sale for $10.00 on

http://ripplesketches.blogspot.com/.

This site has been set-up to raise money to help the wildlife affected by the BP oil spill. It is a way for a group of creative people to make a difference. There are many wonderful pieces of art offered on this site & all money raised will go to two charities benefiting the wildlife ~ here is the description from the site ~

Each sketchcard on this blog is $10.00. The $10.00 is a donation to help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. Every penny is donated. The two Non-Profits that are benefiting are The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center. You can purchase a card if you donate directly to one of the non-profits and email me the confirmation and your address to ripplesketches@verizon.net. The artist will mail you the signed card.
We don't have to feel helpless. We can help. Our small actions together will ripple outward.

After playing around with some different ideas I realized I wanted to make a dress out of the affected animals because many times my dresses represent for me my heart felt emotions, opinions and heart aches and this oil spill falls in the heart ache category. I love the idea of being able to contribute artwork that might raise some money to help in this disaster.

This piece is not a card but a pen and ink drawing, with watercolor accents.

It is 11 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. on smooth bristol paper.

Please go to the web site and check out all the many wonderful, creative and inspiring illustrations, and if you want maybe buy mine!!!

peace

Enough already!!!

“Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” Scott Adams

a story ~ Last Friday, Illustration Friday’s topic was 'trail' (I was very excited about the topic, had many ideas but alas never executed them, but that another story). I was reviewing some of the others entries and came across an illustrator who made a trail of dead fish and wrote in her comment ‘enough already!’ ~ I could not agree more (I can’t find the link to the illustration but I will post it asap when I find it). Then the same day I saw one of those heart wrenching images of a bird covered with oil with only his open, sad eye showing through. The next day I read an editorial about how there should be criminal charges brought against BP because this disaster came from cost cutting and neglect, but once again it sounds like the real guilty are protected by the structure of big corporation. Grrrr….

For a few days this all percolated until I decided that I was pissed and wanted to make a dress about the oil spill…. That day my mind was on fire – I was sketching, pondering, playing with different materials. However the next morning I found my critic talking me out of this dress ~ ‘a cliché, what am I going to do with another large sculpture, I should focus on the projects I have going on in my studio, blah, blah’. So I put that dress idea aside, trying to ignore this quiet ache in my heart. Now it was Friday again and Illustration Friday presented a special topic ~ Ripple!! The special part is that all entries can be posted for sale on this new website which was started by a community of artists trying to make a difference and raising money for the relief efforts in the gulf!!! (Click here to get the full story) It is inspiring and wonderful and ignited my oil spill passion again!! So I am back thinking about a possible ‘oil’ dress but this also reconnected me with my installation ‘this comes from within’.

As I figured out what my donation illustration would be, my mind went back to walls of ‘this comes from within’ ~ my installation that I created last summer. This piece has been heavily on my mind!!! It was a year ago that I started working on transforming the gallery at Medicine Wheel. I miss that project!!! ~ the scope of it, the intensity, the focus, how it challenged me in so many ways and I pulled it off!!. In my studio I have started painting shaped pieces of wood in a similar style to the walls of the installation – limited color palette and that intuitive approach to the painting – 'what does my gut say to paint here'. I am excited about this work ~ creating those walls last year was a magical experience for me. So with my ‘ripple’ illustration in mind I reviewed some of my photos from ‘this comes from within’ and was surprised by how they felt timely and appropriate for a cry of outrage for this disaster. So many marine and marsh animals were represented on those walls – sea turtles, crabs, nesting birds, lizards, some much more & I am sure there was even a mermaid or two looking out. Now I am not sure what my 'ripple' illustration will be but I wanted to share some of my creatures with you today and to encourage you to check out the 'ripple' site and purchase some original art and support the cause to help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill.

it has a great sound track too!!!! peace all!!!

http://ripplesketches.blogspot.com/