Inspiration and Process

A long time ago, an art teacher told me that it takes at least ten years of hard work to fully develop as an artist. At the time, I dismissed his comment, but as the years march on and I look back at where I've been and where I'm going, I now know he was right. It takes a lot of time, effort and work to find one's voice, to learn where to find new inspiration, and to understand process.

Zandra Rhodes, Crinoline Dress, 1973
Photo by Anthony Scoggins

As I delve deeper into the world of Zandra Rhodes, I think there is much to learn about her process as an artist and textile designer. The garments she creates are all about the textile, with lines and silhouettes that  highlight the textile. Looking at how she cuts the fabric, it is clearly evident that she maximizes the most beautiful features of the pattern and minimizes waste (reminding me of how it was done in the 18th century when cuts were minimized on the expensive and ornate fabrics).

Zandra Rhodes Sketchbook at the Mingei Museum
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011

But the process all begins with her sketchbook. Unlike many fashion designers, she does not sketch garments. Instead her black hard-covered sketchbooks document her travels around the world and record whatever caught her eye on any given day. The sketches include plants, flowers, ceramic tiles, architecture, cartoons, waves, sculptures, doodles, anything that interested her.  Her sketchbooks are the first and most important step in finding inspiration for her fabric designs and the reason the Zandra Rhodes label is so unique. The book Zandra Rhodes, a lifelong affair with textiles, includes pages from her sketchbook and illustrates the process of translating these sketches into patterns for fabric design. The book is the next best thing to seeing the exhibition at the Mingei.

As an artist myself, I have a sketchbook, actually there are at least five of various sizes and shapes on my desk right now, but my use of them has been sporadic at best. And even though I travel widely and often, they rarely get the use that they should because I've let myself be distracted by demands of my family, my job, my blog, my Blackberry, and a symphony of other stuff.




Zandra Rhodes: A Lifelong Affair with Textiles
Mingei Museum
1439 El Prado - on the Plaza de Panama, San Diego CA
P: 619-239-0003

Drunk on Inspiration

Stepping out of my routine to go to London was like falling down the rabbit hole into another world. Far away from home and by myself, I savoured each moment. I was free to think, free to dream and free to wander. Without the tether of the computer, cell phone or to-do list, I had time out, time away, time for myself. And even though it was exhausting to prepare for, grueling to get there with a delay caused by the volcanic ash cloud, challenging to deal with the five hour time difference and the loneliness of eating meals alone, and overwhelming to return to a huge to-do list and about 300 emails to answer, it was worth it. The installations I saw, the galleries I visited, and the beauty I took in, filled me up. I feel drunk with inspiration!

 

Prince Albert Memorial in Hyde Park, London by Ingrid Mida 2010

Wanted: Studio Assistant

Photo credit: Rochas, Fall 2010 Collection

 
Lately I've been wondering what it would be like to have a studio assistant, especially as I have no shortage of ideas, but am chronically short of time..... In my wildest dreams, I'd have a bevy of studio assistants a la Jeff Koons or Damien Hirst to execute my ideas as I scoured the world for inspiration.

This would be the job description for this fantasy position. The pay would be non-existent, but the experience priceless!!!

1. Accompany me into deep, dark ravines for photo shoots to protect me from wild beasts and other creatures and to carry heavy photography equipment.

2. Attend gallery openings and other art related events in my place, making witty conversation with gallery owners and potential purchasers and drawing attention to my work.

3. Contact potential purchasers, curators and art dealers on my behalf.

4. Write witty blog posts when I am otherwise too tired or uninspired to do so.

5. Respond to all email requests for research assistance and blog comments.

6. Read uninspired phd theses on French fashion in the 18th century and summarize for me.

7. Thread my embroidery needle for me as my eyes tire and my hands cramp up.

8. Embroider, draw, photograph, and/or sculpt when I don't feel like it or have the time.

9. Source difficult-to-find antique mannequins, fabric and art materials and drag heavy items into my studio.

10. Write long grant proposals but don't tell me so I don't get disappointed when I don't get one.

Who am I kidding? I love doing all this stuff....well, most of it anyway. 

The Source of Inspiration, Peace and Power

For each artist, the process of finding new inspiration is a journey. Sometimes inspiration can be found on one's doorstep and sometimes one has to travel far and wide to uncover it. For me, ideas often flood my brain like overloaded electric circuits, and I have to filter my ideas against the constraints of time, technique and consistency with my ongoing practice. But I try to stay open to what other artists can offer and with that in mind, I undertook a trip to Grimsby to visit with Samuel Thomas, aboriginal bead work artist. If you read my blog in November, I profiled Samuel Thomas and his work after attending a beading workshop at the Royal Ontario Museum. He currently has a show on called "Power of Place - Strength of Being" on at the Grimsby Museum until March 31, 2010.

The show opens with the following statement:

As the pace of life quickens and becomes more complex, we yearn for something deeper, more transformative, and more reflective. We need something to slow us down; give us pause, and allow us to collect our thoughts so that the body and mind can regenerate. Our inner spirit drives us to tap the powers, iconic symbols, and beliefs that have supported and guided people for centuries. We seek the goal of inner peace as a buffer against the complexity of modern times. Samuel Thomas

In this exhibition, Samuel Thomas highlights the art pieces he created in journeying to places of power around the world, including the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge, Kenya, Temple of Kuglacan in Mexico, and Niagara Falls. He created art works at each of these sites, using materials purchased locally. Although each piece incorporates imagery and symbols from the place it was created, they are coherent in vision, representing the social connection, spiritual principles and traditional beadwork techniques of the artist. Each piece is mind-blowing in its conception and beauty, especially this one created in Egypt which is my favourite.

Sam Thomas kindly answered endless questions about his work and seemed to be quite embarrassed by the many compliments he heard that afternoon. But what I took away with me was something which I might easily have overlooked. On one of the explanatory panels, he stated:

Power places have a natural eloquence that is always beautiful and always inspirational, however, of all the sacred power places on the planet, the hardest one to reach is inside our self. (Samuel Thomas)


I think it is worth repeating the hardest [sacred power place] to reach is inside our self.  It was that statement that sent me on the journey of creating artwork based on my mother's dresses. Where that project will end up, I'm not sure but I know it is probably one of the most important art projects I'll ever undertake. And so I must offer up my thanks to Samuel Thomas.

Power of Place - Strength of Being
An Exhibition by Samuel Thomas
Grimsby Museum,
6 Murray Street, Grimsby, Ontario
Ongoing until March 31, 2010
And then traveling....

Nature's lace: The Spider Web

Spider webs are nature's lace. Their delicacy, fragility and ethereal qualities have inspired my latest artwork.

Photo source: www.Freedigitalphotos.net

For some time, I've wanted to add spider webs to my fashion plates to add a suggestion of decay and an element of whimsy. The interesting thing about trying something new is that I have to make a conscious decision to accept failure as part of the learning process. In other words, I have to be willing to destroy my art and I had to work up my courage.

Along came a spider... A mixed media work by Ingrid Mida, copyright 2009

I was pretty excited after my first attempt. It took about two hours to create one quarter of a web but the metallic thread was so fine that it will not show up in a photograph.

On my second attempt, I added some beads and even then the spider web is still very difficult to see in a photograph. I've been debating whether or not to post my efforts at all. But in person, the effect is just as I hoped for - delicate and other-worldly. It doesn't dominate the piece but adds a soft shimmer from the metallic thread and the beads. You almost don't even notice it until you look more closely. However, I am quite disappointed in how it photographs and am contemplating making a web in black embroidery thread just to better photograph it.

Click on the close-up photo to better see the web!

Sadly my next effort will have to wait. I've cut my hand badly (who said art was relaxing?) and it will need some time to heal.

Postcards from Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent

Photo credit: Duane Michals for Metropolitan Museum of Art

Whenever I travel, I purchase postcards as mementos. When I wrote yesterday's post about Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent, I forgot (in my jet-lagged and disoriented state) that I'd purchased a stack of cards in the boutique.

The first postcard showcases six Russian-inspired dresses from the fall-winter 1976-77 collection. After having been to the show "Le costume populaire russe", I can see the influence of the voluptuous silks, rich colours, intricate beading and elaborate head-wear of traditional Russian costumes on these YSL gowns.


Photo credit: Duane Michals for the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Yves Saint Laurent also took inspiration from other cultures including Africa. The four dresses above from the YSL spring-summer 1967 collection were African inspired.

Photo credit: Duane Michals for the Metropolitan Museum of Art

And lastly, this postcard features YSL with three of his artist inspired creations, including the Mondrian dress (1965-66), the Matisse dress (1981-82) and the Picasso dress (1979-80).

Yves Saint Laurent revisited these inspirations many times over the course of his career. If you are as passionate about his work as I am, you'll want to (re)read the following posts:

Quotes from Yves Saint Laurent (June 3, 2008)
Lessons from Yves Saint Laurent (June 7, 2008)
YSL Retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal (June 10, 2008)
Book Review: The Beautiful Fall, Fashion, Genius and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris

Is This All?

Photograph by William Klein, Model Jean Shrimpton, Fashion: Dior, May 1963 Vogue


In 1963, Betty Friedan wrote "The Feminine Mystique", inspiring women to reject stereotypical roles and seek creative and rewarding work outside the home. Recently I've been immersed in feminist literature in the hope that I can give depth and meaning to a piece of artwork that I've been invited to create.

There was one passage in "The Feminine Mystique" that incited a torrent of emotions in me:

"The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States. Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night -- she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question -- "Is this all?"

How does this make you feel?
Is it still a relevant question today?

Please share your thoughts and feelings.

The Muse

Photo of Jean Shrimpton by Cecil Beaton, 1964

The gala opening of the exhibition "Model as Muse" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night was a convergence of the glitterati of the worlds of fashion and Hollywood. Presiding over the event was Marc Jacobs and his co-chair Justin Timberlake who welcomed Anna Wintour, Madonna, Kate Moss, Anne Hathaway, Lauren Hutton.... (to see photos and videos of the gala, check out www.style.com)

Curated by Harold Koda and Kohle Yohannan, the exhibit explores the relationship between high fashion and the evolving ideals of beauty as portrayed in the iconic models of 1947-1997. Models featured in the exhibition include: Dorian Leigh, Suzy Parker, Dovima, Jean Shrimpton, Veruschka, Twiggy, Jerry Hall, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Champbell and others.

To me, what is really interesting is not the models themselves but the concept of muse. What is a muse?

In classical mythology, muse refers to the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over the arts:
Calliope (epic poetry)
Clio (history)
Erato (lyric poetry)
Euterpe (music)
Melpomene (tragedy)
Polyhymnia (religious music)
Terpischore (dance)
Thalia (comedy)
Urania (astronomy)

(I suppose since painting and sculpture are not included here, that my artwork must fall into the category of tragedy!!!)

In more common usage, a muse is someone (sometimes referred to as a goddess!!!) who has the power to inspire an artist.

For May's issue of Vogue, Hamlish Bowles interviewed Marc Jacobs on his creative process. Jacobs said that "A collection is just that -- a collection of thoughts, ideas, and experiences, trials and errors, editing and adding. It's something that unfolds." And for each collection, at some point in that process, a muse emerges. "So whether it is Kate Moss or Winona Ryder, it's the imperfection that I find so beautiful. The flaw, their Achilles heel, is as interesting as the perfection."

In the book "The Beautiful Fall, Fashion, Genius and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris", I learned that Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent relied heavily on their inner circle of favourite models and friends to inspire their creations. Lagerfeld was especially heartless in that he would use people until they no longer served his creative purposes. "The members of his shifting entouage were there to provide information, energy, laughter, ideas, and significantly, youth, and they were replaced when they no longer fulfilled these criteria" (page 310).

My muse is the goddess of fashion. As ephemeral as she may be, she is a wellspring of beauty and delight.

Who is your muse?

Santos Cage Dolls

On Thursday, I posted an image of an antique doll on a stand and Judith Thibeau of Studio Judith helped me identify what it was. This type of doll is called a Santos Cage Doll and is highly collectible.

Often found in Portuguese or Spanish communities, these dolls were used in Catholic religious processions and were often elaborately dressed in beautiful gowns and topped with golden crowns. These dolls would occupy a place of prominence in the home of a wealthy person or chapel. The cage could also be used as a sort of prayer shrine with objects placed inside the cage.

I am drawn to their spare and haunting elegance. After researching these dolls, I realized that the first one I purchased was likely a reproduction, but since I practically got her for free, I went back to the antique shop and bought the other one. I think the pair of them will be a new source of inspiration in my artistic practice. I might even have to create some elegant gowns for these lovely ladies.

A Peek into my Studio

Inspiration: "a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul of a man"/(woman) Webster's Enclyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary

Although books and films are sources of inspiration for my artwork, I also am constantly ripping out magazine clippings of pretty things. Sometimes it is a line, a colour, or a mood that I like. I try not to think about it, I just rip..... Many of these clippings sit in piles on my desk at home, on the table in my studio, in files, in art journals, stuffed into drawers.... Only a fraction of them end up on this mood board.

For Gabriela Delworth's Mood Party today, I spent a bit of time tidying up my board to make it presentable. After looking at my photo, I think I might have ADD!!! Audrey Hepburn, Egon Schiele's wife, the Mondrian dress by YSL, the red dresses and a corset by Valentino, an outfit by Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier, a pink couch, a French playing card, a peacock feather -- I have no idea what they share, except beauty and elegant lines. I suppose that is the essence of my work, of me....

Inspiration

Gabriela Delworth is hosting a mood party on her blog on Saturday, April 18th and invited me to join her as she celebrates the powers of inspiration behind this creative tool.

Being somewhat wrapped up in this week's deadlines, I wasn't sure whether I could participate. And truth be told, I have been somewhat disorganized in how I handle all the clippings I've ripped out of fashion, design and art magazines. Sometimes I glue them into an art journal. Sometimes they pile up around my computer. And sometimes I hang them up on my inspiration or mood board. But with a little bit of effort, my mood board was presentable enough to take some photographs for Gabriela's party.

Here is a peek at a corner of my mood board today:


Come back tomorrow and I'll show you the whole thing!

Book Review: Chinoiseries

Being an artist and a book lover, I have amassed a huge collection of beautiful books that I use for inspiration. This book called "Chinoiseries" is a reprint of a limited-edition collector's volume of forty-two stunning watercolour illustrations of "fantastical pavilions, picturesque pagodas and luxurious tents" in the Chinoiserie style of Europe.

This style was popular during the 18th century. Included in the book are several pagodas, pavilions and other structures which were commissioned by Marie Antoinette for Versailles including:

Pavilion of Diana for Trianon 1774 (unbuilt)
Chinese House for Trianon 1774 (unbuilt)
Chinese Rain Shelter for Trianon 1774 (unbuilt)
Carrousel at Trianon 1776 (destroyed)
Pagoda for Trianon 1777 (unbuilt)

Each illustration is rendered in exquisite detail in architectural elevation. Information is included on the person who commissioned it, the architect, the year it was designed, whether or not it was built, what happened to it after construction, and other tidbits of information.

The cover illustration on this stunning book is of a Chinese Tent for the Trianon commissioned by Marie Antoinette in 1780. From the atelier of architect Jean-Baptiste Pillement, this simple wooden structure was covered with canvas painted with birds and florals and decorated with ostrich plumes. The project was never built.

In the words of the authors, "Chinoiserie is Western architecture's equivalent of plain, simple joy." If you can find this stunning book, the images of these whimsical structures will, without a doubt, make you smile.

Title: Chinoiseries
Authors: Bernd H. Dams and Andrew Zega
Publisher: Rizzoli, New York 2008
Category: Non-fiction, architecture
Price: US$60, Canada $77

Fashion (and Light Bulbs) in Contemporary Art

Given that fashion is my muse in my artistic practice, I'm enchanted when I find work by other artists who use fashion/clothing for inspiration. The photo shown is of a bronze sculpture in the outdoor garden at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla. Titled Eden it is by Judith Shea, an American, born 1948, whose elegant work reflects her background as a fashion designer.

Inside the gallery, there is an engaging show of work by Jasper Johns (January 18 - May 10, 2009), highlighting the significance of the relationship between his two-dimensional and three-dimensional work. Included in this show were Jasper Johns first sculpture Light Bulb I and his related sculptures, prints, and drawings including several works from the artist's collection that have never been exhibited. (Sadly, no photos were allowed inside the SDMCA).

For Johns, the light bulb is a "Thing the mind already knows," an object so familiar that it is rarely truly observed and a thing seen so frequently that it is usually ignored.

Johns treated the simple light bulb as an object of beauty, by sculpting it in bronze and by featuring it as the primary focus of his drawings in graphite wash and paper, etchings, and lead relief sculpture. His work makes the viewer question his/her perception, labeling and categorization of objects. The light bulb was the subject of Johns first sculpture and became one of his signature images.

Besides the Jasper Johns exhibition, there were a number of other contemporary art works on display including one by Cornelia Parker called Rorschach (Accidental IV) 2006. In this installation piece, she suspended 70 silver plated objects crushed by 250-ton industrial press with metal wire just inches above the floor. In this symmetrical Rorschach-like composition of flattened silver-plated objects, Parker played with the ideas of status, meaning and power. She began this work with silver-plated objects of desire, commemoration and status such as candelabra, tea sets, platters -- objects that she considers traditional signifiers of class of her home in Great Britain. The Rorschach reference becomes a way to measure the unknown and reveal personal histories and secrets. I was mesmerized by this work. The glittery surfaces of the silver took on a different cast when crushed flat. They still were beautiful but there was an associated element of destruction and decay. This was my favourite piece on display at the Museum.

And finally, I had to laugh when I tried to take a photo out of a window cut-out in a gallery overlooking the ocean. I was stopped by the guard (NO PHOTOS!!!!) who told me that it was a work of art and therefore no photos were permitted through the cut-outs. This piece was called “1.2.3.4” by Robert Irwin 1997. It was a witty piece of contemporary art in which the artist framed the best views of the ocean with cut-outs. It was very clever but incredibly frustrating not to be able to photograph the ocean, never mind "the art"!


Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego La Jolla
700 Prospect Street, La Jolla 92037
858-454-3541
www.mcasd.org

Marie Antoinette's Dress Goes on Display

Portrait of the Archduchess Marie Antoinette, by Martin van Meylens the Younger

1767-1768, Schonbrunn Castle, Vienna

Very few artifacts belonging to Marie Antoinette are still in existence. A gown that may have once been worn by this fashion icon will be on display from October 11 to the 26th at the ROM in the Patricia Harris Gallery of Costume and Textiles.

"Dating back to the 1780s, this beautiful two piece court dress would have sparkled throughout the glittering palace of Versailles. Known as a fashion icon, Marie Antoinette's sense of style is apparent in the rich satin fabric, silk floral embroidery, ribbon appliques, spangles and glass stones." (ROM website).

                                    On Saturday, October 18th, Caroline Weber will be giving a talk about her book "Queen of Fashion: What Marie-Antoinette wore to the Revolution". Tickets for the lecture are $20 for members, $23 for non-members.



Royal Ontario Museum
Bloor Street West at Avenue Road, Toronto, Ontario Canada    416-586-8000

Painting as a Fashion Motif

Whether fashion can be considered to be a work of art in and of itself is an ongoing debate among art curators and fashion historians. But it cannot be disputed that Yves Saint Laurent was the first fashion designer to use a painting as a direct source of inspiration for his collections and as a fashion motif.

In 1965, YSL created the "Mondrian" dress which applied the simplified colour blocks seen in the work of the artist Piet Mondrian to a sleeveless jersey knit tunic dress. This deceptively simple design with the graphic blocks of white, yellow, red, blue and black from Mondrian's paintings was considered a masterpiece of construction.

This reference to art in YSL designs was followed up with the "Pop Art Look" in the following year and hand-beaded Van Gogh iris jackets in the 1980s.

Since that first Mondrian dress, many other designers have referenced art in their designs. This past season alone there were countless designers who did os, including John Galliano for Dior Haute Couture (Hand-painted and embroidered dress after Gustav Klimt's Adele Block-Bauer portrait), Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton (Sheer dress and slipdress after Richard Prince's Man Crazy Nurse #3), and Armani (Silk-organza petal dress with jewel brooch after Degas Dancers).

Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal

Yves Saint Laurent Evening dress inspired by Matisse 

There are countless examples of artists and fashion designers who have looked to each other for inspiration in their work. In the recent Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the Musee des Beaux Arts in Montreal, there was an entire room of garments that referenced artwork from artists including Matisse, Van Gogh, Renoir, and Mondrian. The gown in the top photo is a beautiful example of how Yves Saint Laurent reinterpreted the artist Matisse's cut-out artworks in garment form.

The exhibit was enchanting. I marveled at the elegance and originality of his designs on the approximately one hundred outfits on display. Most designs were timeless and difficult to attribute to a particular year, especially since YSL revisited his favourite sources of inspiration again and again.

This sketch of a cocoon-like wedding outfit made of hand-knit white wool tricot with silk satin ribbons was one of the most unusual outfits on display. Imagine how avant-gard this outfit would have been in 1965. It made me wonder if Viktor and Rolf were inspired by this outfit in creating their Russian doll collection for autumn/winter 1999-2000.

Yves Saint Laurent Wedding Gown 1999

This daring flora inspired wedding gown made of silk flowers with a pink silk organza train was spectacular! From the 1999 collection, this design was the incarnation of the mythological bride, the goddess Flora or Botticelli's Venus.

I left the exhibtion in awe of Yves Saint Laurent's tremendous talent and originality. He looked to many different sources for inspiration in his work including:
- other cultures (Africa, Spain, China, Morocco, Japan, India, Russia)
- other artists (Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, Shakespeare, Appollinaire)
- other themes (glamour, silouette, masculine/feminine, flora/fauna, geometry, history)

Looking for sources of inspiration is something that I really understand as an artist. It was interesting for me to see how he interpreted and revisited these themes in his work over the course of a career spanning 40 plus years.

This exhibition continues at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until September 28, 2008 and then will travel to the Fine Art Museum of San Francisco (November 1, 2008 to March 1, 2009).

Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective (until September 28, 2008)
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
1380 Sherbrooke Ouest, Monteal
514-285-2000, 1-800-899-MUSE
www.mbam.qc.ca

San Francisco Museum of Fine Art, November 1, 2008 to March 1, 2009