DRAWINGS FROM ABROAD

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Madonna and Child with Two Angels - Fra Filippo Lippi

- THE GRAND TOUR -

“Three hundred years ago, wealthy young Englishmen began taking a post-Oxbridge trek through France and Italy in search of art, culture and the roots of Western civilization. With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months (or years) to roam, they commissioned paintings, perfected their language skills and mingled with the upper crust of the continent. ”

— Matt Gross, Lessons from the Frugal Grand Tour

Three hundred years later, in the galleries of London and Paris, I stood, pencil to paper, in a world of my own. My grand tour may not have been so grand, nor so entwined with the upper crust, nor was it undertaken after my studies (in fact, it was just before my first year at university). Yet, it was a time of growth, of stretching my limits, and of great learning. 

I learnt of the line of Botticelli's painted hands, and of the round cheeks of Raphael's models. I learnt of a time far from my own. Of monks in cells with bare white plaster walls, adorned with only a painting of the Crucifixion; and of the scraping of hides for use in a book of illuminated scripts - so delicate, intertwining, and colourful that a whole day could be spent gazing at their curlicues. I learnt of light and air, and of Monet's garden in all the seasons of the year. 

These are some of the remnants of my Grand Tour: sketches of that time in my life, when I stood in front of those paintings, breathing the very air that had touched them and gazing at the brushstrokes. A thin veil connected me, then, to the brush and the hand that painted those strokes. 

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Saint Catherine - Raphael

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Portrait of an Unknown Woman - Leonardo da Vinci

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Nymphéas - Claude Monet

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Mars and Venus - Botticelli 

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GOLDEN THISTLES

- HISTORY IN THE MAKING-

A GOLDEN WEDDING DRESS

This was my ultimate art project, which indulged my longing to make something beautiful, whimsical and magical, something BIG.

The concept arose from fairytales; more specifically from the language of fairytales and how we often apply this language to our discourse on relationships and marriage. Women are subtly being exposed to the dream of a knight in shining armour and their own happily ever after everyday through the media. All this aside, the dress represented that dream - with its large ball-gown skirt and train, the soft shade of gold, and the bazillion buttons down the back. I researched into every nook and cranny about my topic, looking from the past (Jane Austen, Queen Victoria and Dior) to the present ( including the more recent royal weddings). The dress itself is made from silk Dupioni, in a gorgeous champagne gold. 

I personally made the pattern using a dress form and draping techniques, then sewed the underskirts with ruffles and hoops, then hand-stitched the entire outer dress including the silk corset panels lining the inside, and the tiny thread button loops for all those buttons. To top it all off I embroidered the opening in the train with ribbon, thread and pearls in a thistle design. 

All this hard work was part of my dream - I felt as if I was stitching magic into the dress as I sewed. Every time I sew, I spend those hours thinking of the result: of the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' and the delight of any recipients. This dress was no exception. It was all well worth it, as I was allowed to exhibit the final piece in the Public Library ( a fitting place for an artwork with a literary theme). Then, to top it all off, I got the dress and an article into New Zealands Bride and Groom!

P.S. Although I did iron it carefully before the shoot, the dress was having a bit of a Princess Diana moment... 

LACE & SPACE

LACE IS

Formed By the spaces between...

The capture of shadows and light...

Almost ephemeral...

This is a project I completed at fashion school, for a module called 'Laser Cutting and Intaglio.'

My initial concepts focused on the idea of spaces between things - the stuff that isn't there. Lace is a good example of this, as it is made of mostly holes. So, I researched the history of lace, and of lace collars. I then went on to make a laser-cutting design that played on the idea of space by layering chiffon cut as lace, to create different tones against the collar-bone of the wearer.

Still exploring the idea of the spaces between things, I decided to only use scraps of material which were left over from other projects - the rejects and the bits left between pattern pieces.

THE EPHEMERAL

As the project progressed, it developed, and I became interested in all things ephemeral:

those things that exist in a state between life and death; existing and non-existent. Temporary.

I began to play with shadow and light, using these to create momentary jewellery that I then immortalised in photography and in ink printing. 

I captured delicate petals inside chiffon, trapping them for the duration of their short life. 

My friend helped me to pour baby-powder on my neck in lace flowered patterns, creating a necklace that would blow away with a puff of wind.

I scratched a design into clear plastic, hung it above my collar bone to create a shadow box. The space between gathered all those reflections and patterns.

I placed this plastic jewellery onto a mirror, standing in the reflection to emulate a necklace on the person staring back at me.