WHAT I LEARNED FROM ART BASEL

I’ve just returned from Art Basel Miami Beach, an event I look forward to for months in advance, and begin planning my outfits for weeks ahead of time. I planned to create three garments inspired by works at the fairs, and photograph them on site.  After a horrific paint spill and a disappearing painting, I didn’t accomplish what I set out to do.  In fact, I didn’t even complete one and I left Miami feeling unfulfilled.  But there’s always a silver lining to failed creative endeavors – you learn something about yourself and your process along the way. 

The photo above is an example of one of these failed attempts.  After losing an entire garment to an unfortunate paint spill in my suitcase on the flight to Miami, I set out to make a new dress.  Inspired by Kenneth Noland’s Mach II from Acquavella Galleries, a work of art I saw at Art Basel during the VIP Preview day, I hand-painted this dress in my hotel room using childrens’ finger paints I bought at Walgreens.  I wasn’t very happy with the result, given my limited resources, but set out to photograph the piece nonetheless.  When I returned to the fair, I found that the piece had sold, and was already out of the country with its new owner, a private collector. Slightly devastated, I posed for this photo outside the fair.  In a strangely poignant turn of events, when the photo was uploaded to my computer, it was slightly mutilated in the process, resulting in the bewildering version above.  In a weird way, the photo seems more like a work of art to me than the dress; all I had to do was remove my control from the process.

That, in a nutshell, is what I learned this year: no matter how much you plan and prepare ahead of time, there are always external factors that are out of your control.  The finished product may be completely divergent from what you set out to create, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a success – as long as you learned something along the way.

Kenneth Noland, Mach II, 1964 via Acquavella Galleries at Art Basel Miami Beach

Photo of me by William Sealy; painting photo by me.

CARMEN HERRERA @ THE WHITNEY

"I began a lifelong process of purification, a process of taking away what isn't essential." --Carmen Herrera

Carmen Herrera is a Cuban American artist, and her work is the focus of an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art which opens today in New York City.  When I began investigating her work, I found that there is a lot to learn from the 101-year-old artist, who was a pioneer of Geometric Abstraction.  She has said that her "quest is for the simplest of pictorial resolutions", which struck me as a valuable way to approach art as well as life.

I made a dress inspired by her painting Green and Orange from 1958.  It was surprisingly refreshing to work on something so direct, and it was fun to mix colors to emulate Herrera's palette.

Carmen Herrera: Lines of Sight opens to the public today, and is on view until January 2, 2017.

Photos by Sarah Meller.

MR. MONDRIAN

It is not important to make many pictures but that I have one picture right.  --Piet Mondrian

Please meet Jason Anfinsen, or Mr. Mondrian (from now on!).  I can't think of a better caption for this photo, captured at Tate Modern, than Mondrian's own words.  I'm not sure how many takes he needed to get this shot, but it is certainly working!

Thanks for Jason Anfinsen for sharing this wonderful photo.

GEMSTONE GEOMETRIC

This is the second time that my outfit found affinity with the work of Canadian artist Shannon Finley.  I'm drawn to the fragmented geometry of her works, both in my design sense as well as my fashion sense.  Of course, her sense of color theory adds to my fixation.

I spotted this dress in the window at J. Crew a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised to find it on Final Sale recently.  They always have the best (and most artful) prints!

Dress: J. Crew (Still available here; the colors are MUCH more vibrant in person!)

Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo Vara (patent version available here)

Necklace: H&M

Sunglasses: Suno

Finley image from Artsy.net, photos by Kathy Paciello.

ART TO WEAR: Rhombus.

Shannon Finley, Rhombus (White Light), 2013

I finally captured the Miista Siri pumps, which have been on my wish list for quite a while.  They are, essentially, a classic black pump, but with an unexpected twist -- a clear lucite geometric heel.  I couldn't help but note the affinity the shoes held with this acrylic work by Shannon Finley, a Canadian artist based in Berlin.  Finley is represented by the Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco.

Finley image via Artsy, my shoes photographed by Lauren Ricciardi.

NOW WEARING: Barry McGee.

Barry McGee (b. 1966) is a San Francisco-based artist who originally came on the scene as a street artist in the early 1990s.

Known by many different aliases, including Ray Fong, Lydia Fong, Bernon Vernon, Twist, and others, McGee's work was included in the 2001 Venice Biennale, which paved the way for his blue chip status in the art world today.

McGee's boldly graphic work deals with the overwhelming nature of advertising, and the plight of individuals existing the urban landscape.  His current exhibition at Cheim & Read features notorious geometric patchwork pieces in addition to pottery and a ballooned wall piece, which combines his surface design with sculpture.

Barry McGee is on view at Cheim & Read in Chelsea through October 26th.

Geo Shift by Pim + Larkin via Piperlime

Silk Blouse: H&M

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Boots: Franco Sarto

Photos by Kathy Paciello.