BEATRIZ MILHAZES, REVISITED

For at least a few years now, Brazil has been hovering near the top of my list of places to go.  Part of this is because I discovered Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes in 2011 and have been transfixed on her work and its relation to Brazil (and, specifically, Rio de Janeiro) ever since.

At her recent exhibition at James Cohan Gallery in New York, Milhazes referenced Marola, or ripples in the water, and this natural phenomenon is evidenced as imagery in her work and as an effect her artwork has had on Brazilian culture.  Some of her inspiration includes Henri Matisse's Cutouts, as well as the work of Sonia Delaunay.  However, her bright colors and playful imagery have become a part of the Brazilian cultural conscience, and allude to the vibrancy of Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, and the visual and spiritual energy of Milhazes' home country.

Milhazes' work is easy for me to love, and compounds my need to experience the vivacity of Brazil firsthand.

Dress: Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Tights: Uniqlo

Shoes: Nicholas Kirkwood

Photos by William Sealy.

OFF THE CHARTRES

One of my mother's chosen artistic mediums was stained glass.  She learned the art from my grandmother, whose intricate Tiffany-inspired lampshades brought color to every room in the house.  I remember them staying up late, cutting, grinding, soldering, making beautiful beveled-glass windows, pyramids, and even a rendition of Monet's Waterlilies in glass.

One Christmas, I decided to make a stained glass ornament for my Dad.  I chose a sailboat design, toiled over choosing the glass, cutting and grinding it, wrapping the edges with foil, and soldering the pieces together.  It was a far more labor-intensive process than I'd anticipated and the finished product was far from window-worthy!

However, watching my mother and grandmother create masterpieces, and then attempting one of my own, gave me a deep appreciation for the art of glass.  Traditionally, stained glass in churches was meant to give the worshipper a feeling of being closer to God.  Not only does the beauty of stained glass in a place of worship provide an elevated sense of holiness and acknowledgement of beauty, it also gives me a renewed appreciation of the extraordinary craftsmanship of a work of art, such as the Rose Window at Chartres Cathedral, outside of Paris.

An early example of French Gothic architecture, Chartres Cathedral is extremely well preserved.  One of the most interesting things about the design is that the architectural style was actually adapted in order to allow more space for stained glass!  Instead of a mixture of different types of glass in the windows, which was the standard in a church during that time period, the windows of Chartres were all full color.

I would have liked to visit Chartres with my grandmother and mother because I know how much it would have meant to them to see and experience such a masterpiece.  Truly, though, I was able to build a deep appreciation of the artistry and beauty of stained glass right at home, surrounded by their very own versions of church windows.  And I continue to experience it every day, when I turn on my bedside lamp.  And I continue to experience it every day, when I turn on my bedside lamp.

Dress: Clover Canyon

Boots: Balenciaga

Photos by Kathy Paciello.

LET ME BE FRANK

"I don't like to say I have given my life to art.  I prefer to say art has given me my life."  -Frank Stella

As I was perusing the textile rack at a local secondhand store a few years ago, I came across what I could only describe as the most beautiful piece of silk I'd ever seen - which I immediately recognized as a Frank Stella print.  Upon closer inspection, I found Stella's signature and the date, and clutched the scarf to my chest as I raced for the cash register, thinking the beautiful piece of silk would vanish from my hands before I could buy it.  I did a bit of research and found that the scarf was one of a limited edition of 500 produced by Stella for Barneys in 2004.  One of my prized possessions, I couldn't wait to wear the scarf for the opening of Frank Stella's retrospective at the Whitney Museum.

Stella is one of those art world luminaries who has been living and creating art throughout so many different time periods and movements, that it is difficult to categorize his work.  He is most well known for his Minimalist works of the 1960s and 1970s, but his more recent work (which I can comfortably describe as Maximalist) has become more and more interesting over the years.  The Whitney retrospective gives a high level overview of the artist's oeuvre and delves into some of the pervading themes and just touches on some of the others.

Silk scarf: Frank Stella Limited Edition for Barneys

Silk blouse: Yves Saint Laurent

Jeans: Hudson Barbara

Shoes:  Walter Steiger

Photos of me by Meri Feir; other photos by me.

KELTIE FERRIS

This is the work of an artist who isn't afraid to tell painting "I love you."*

I discovered the work of Keltie Ferris in 2012, at her first solo exhibition with Mitchell-Innes & Nash.  I immediately fell in love with the intense color palette and her fresh mark-making.  At her second exhibition with the gallery, there was even more to love: Ferris's work combines so many different ways of getting the paint onto the canvas (even using her body as a means of transport) and the color palette was even more euphoric; somewhat like my mood after experiencing her latest work.

Blouse and pants: Diane von Furstenberg

Leather vest: Yigal Azrouel

Pumps: Manolo Blahnik

Handbag: Milly

*from The New Yorker review.

Photos by Kathy Paciello.

ART AND FASHION

When I met E.P. Cutler at a Fashion and Street Culture symposium in 2011, I was blown away by her knowledge of everything fashion related and sharp wit.  We've stayed in touch over the past few years, and I've watched her accomplish marvelous things as a writer (she published PANTONE on Fashion: A Century of Color in Design in 2014), and I couldn't be more excited to announce the release of her newest book, Art + Fashion: Collaborations and Connections Between Icons.  Combining my two favorite topics, the book covers every important fashion and art collaboration; from Cecil Beaton and Jackson Pollock, to Mary Katrantzou and John Chamberlain, to Prada and Elmgren + Dragset.  I can't think of another volume that better reflects my interests.  It brings me great joy just to leaf through the glossy pages at a compilation of so many beautiful and significant creations from the intersection of the two worlds I most love.

Congratulations to my dear friend Elizabeth.  You can buy the book here.

POLLOCK KRASNER HOUSE

After an enjoyable afternoon impersonating Pollock on the roof of my building, I was ready to make the trek to East Hampton to the Pollock Krasner House & Study Center. 

I’d been wanting to visit the historic place for at least ten years (probably as long as I’d known that it exists and is open to the public), so it was quite a treat to pile into a car with three of my friends and hit the road on a lovely autumn morning.  After about a 2.5 hour drive from Brooklyn, we pulled up to a wooden-shingled farmhouse in an absolutely beautiful setting with a view of the river and marshes.

After a warm reception from our very knowledgeable and hilarious tour guide, Myrna, we were welcomed into the barn, which had served as Jackson Pollock’s studio, and then Lee Krasner’s after his death.  After removing our shoes and donning foam slippers, we entered the space, which was filled with light, photographs, and ephemera from both of the artists’ careers.  It was truly overwhelming to walk through the space where Pollock had created such masterpieces as Autumn Rhythm.  The most poignant part of the experience was looking down on the paint drips and splatters, records of Pollock’s action painting practice and still completely intact.  You could even see outlines of specific paintings if you looked closely. 

After spending a long time in the studio, we took a tour of the house, which included the couple’s collection of books, records, and even their monogrammed suitcases.  As a fan of AbstractExpressionism, it was so interesting to see the chattels of two of the movement’s greatest members, and further understand and appreciate their relationship, both personally and creatively.

The Pollock Krasner House is closed during the winter, but reopens in the spring by appointment.

Dress: DIY (read here about how I did it)

Leather jacket: DKNY (also worn here, in my Pollock post from New Year's 2011!)

Scarf: Vintage

Tights: Hue

Boots: Zero + Maria Cornejo 'Aura' Bootie

Sunglasses: Alexander McQueen 'Blue Marble'

Photos of me by Micah Bozeman and Emily Hoerdemann and other photos by me.

ACTION PAINTING

Hans Namuth photograph of Jackson Pollock, 1950

Hans Namuth photograph of Jackson Pollock, 1950

Hans Namuth photograph of Jackson Pollock, 1950

It was a stunning fall day; the type of day which makes you feel guilty for doing anything but frolicking outdoors.  I'd been wanting to do an action painting project for a while, and with a visit to the Pollock Krasner House & Study Center upcoming, it was time to make something to wear.  After looking through countless photographs of Jackson Pollock creating his drip paintings (most of them taken by Hans Namuth ca. 1950), I was ready to embark on my own paint-flinging experience.

First, I found a dress at the thrift store in a thick cotton fabric which resembled canvas.  I used an old sheet as a dropcloth, and spent some time mixing acrylic paint to the right consistency.  (Pollock used house paint.)  Then I took everything up to the roof of my building, set up my camera and tripod, and went to work.

I used one of Pollock's most famous paintings, Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist), as my inspiration, and created multiple layers of black, some white, and a lavender color.  I waited for each color to dry in between layers so they wouldn't mix and become muddy.

Overall, it was an extremely fun project and a great stress reliever!  I left the back of the dress unfinished, because some of the paint bled through and it reminded me of what the back of a painting would really look like.

On a side note, I've had great difficulty finding out how to attribute Namuth's photographs of Pollock.  It seems that many of them are courtesy of the Namuth Estate, and most are copyrighted 1950.

For more information about Pollock's painting process, here is a great article from ArtNews from 1951.

Photos by me; Pollock photos from various sources, all courtesy of the Hans Namuth Estate.