A Garden of Shoes and The 1960s Psychadelic Mod Fashion Plate

I keep everything. I have broken dishes, an entire couture collection of single shoes, (Belle, my mastiff-laborador, having chewed the other mate--most recently a pair of handmade snakeskin Italian leather pumps that I picked up at a thrift shop in London years ago. Alas.) almost every single piece of correspondence that I have ever received, and boxes upon boxes of clothing.

I have it in my head that someday I will create some sort of art from my history. Most likely these treasures will remain in my attic, sit in my basement and wait to be moved to their next domicile.

My imagination can actually see the beauty I could create. The broken dishes to be made into a Gaudi style backyard bench, the clothing resewn into gorgeous new frocks, and all those poor single shoes? I once saw a famous garden where old purses were bronzed and placed about. I liked the way it looked. Could definitely do the same with the shoes. Especially my old cowboy boots.

This week I went through my art studio looking for inspiration. I always joke that my workshop looks as if it was hit by a natural disaster. People don't quite believe that until they see it. It's quite amazing, actually. Utter chaos. I love it.

So I am sifting through boxes and drawers and find a linoleum block/woodcutting kit bought about ten years prior. Thought I would give it a go. I found that I truly enjoyed carving the blocks with my various Art Deco inspired images, retro fashion plates and an Art Nouveau inspired nature scene as well. And I enjoyed the printing itself. A new found medium.

Pictured is my 1960s Mod Psychadelic Fashion Plate. A limited edition, signed and numbered linocut print, she is available in my Etsy shop.

Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather

I love Spain. I've been to Barcelona and Sevilla--the north and the south. Two distict cultures, languages, buildings and cuisine. The history of this crumbled empire is palatable. In Barcelona I bought boots; in Seville I enjoyed Flamenco.

Our trip to Seville was on the last leg of our Moroccan sojourn. Having forgot the iPod on the couch of Brooklyn friends, we had but six CDs bought at the Rough Trade store on Portobello Road in London. Out of those six, my favorite was Devendra Banhart's Cripple Crow. A snippet of Cripple Crow renders visions of great Moorish architecture and bright green palm trees.

I realized my connection to Devendra Banhart through my trip to Seville. Thus when asked to do a concert poster for Devendra Banhart's Crystal Ballroom show in Portland I paid homage to his freak folk stylings through my own visions of Spanish celebration.

Combining the chic Art Deco of Gaudi's Barcelona and the rococco of the Moors, I set to work on an image I felt both captured his music, his language and my own memories.