It was the Blah Blah dress that started it all. The idea had been buzzing in my head for a couple of years. On the final day of my biannual visit to my daughter I said “Let’s do this!” It was a gorgeous, breezy June day, up on the roof of her Brooklyn apartment. Due to the wind, the edges of the dress were weighted down with pots of basil and rosemary, as we took turns writing with a bleach pen. Went through three and a half pens by the time we finished. Ever so carefully, we carried the dress down the stairs to wash it out in her bathtub. It was still wet, tied in a plastic bag, when I started the 1000 mile drive back to STL.
So much fun to wear. When people commented on how much they loved the design, my secret thrill was that, until informed, they’d never have guessed that it was a collaborative piece – alternating two lines by M, two lines by me – all the way down.
Quickly discovered that it was also a magical dress. Received appreciative comments every time I wore it. A good friend who has many more connections that I will ever have posted it to her up-cycled clothing Facebook group. Next day I received a text. The post had received over 1800 likes.
From there I began making designs as birthday presents, or for an expectant mother’s baby shower, one for a co-worker, and then another request. One deeply personal design, about the tragedy and love of Alzheimer’s, was juried into the exhibition ‘Text as Visual Language’.
It’s never been a question about ‘What to Make’ as an artist. My problem has always been having more ideas than time. The benefit of wearable art is that patrons have original and hand-made art to display in public, and I have the knowledge that my dearly beloved ‘adopted puppies’ are going to a good home.