Everyday Clay Studio       
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The Dresses

When I decided to open a gallery, I wanted the entire experience of the gallery, especially the Opening Reception, to become an art piece coordinated with the theme of the particular show.  Specific music, food, wine and especially attire were chosen to enhance the exhibit, so that
each show is a new event. 

Bistro 1920 

Artists and guests were encouraged to dress
in a 1920's or French style for this
1920's Bistro event.

Continuum - A Photographic Inquiry
 

This dress was a perfect fit for the Continuum show
as it is comprised of 10 yards of continuous fabric that can be wrapped, twisted, and formed into endless shapes for a dress.

 Madmen ArtVi

This ArtVI event was inspired by the
mid century show, MadMen.
Dressing as her idol, Audrey Hepburn, was
a dream for Kimberly.


Dream in Green/No Screw Caps





This dress was originally created for an art opening for artist Tony Romano, called No Screw Caps.  This show explored the issues of cork vs. screw caps on bottles of wine.  The idea and completion of the show took 3 years.  During that time, I and several other people at bars and restaurants across the island, saved the foil tops from wine bottles.  I took these tops, flattened them, punched holes in them and sewed them all on a white cotton dress. The dress weighs 8lbs and is like wearing a suit of armor.  It also makes a wonderful sound while walking, almost like a human maraca! A year and a half after No Screw Caps, I hosted the show Dream in Green at Everyday Clay Studio, which was a show focusing on recycling, the environment, and being green.  Perfect excuse to ‘recycle’ a ‘recycling’ dress!!!


Whimsical Wonderland




The theme for this show was Fairy Tales.  Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, The Princess and the Frog.  I painted a Yellow Brick Road through Tillett Gardens, swirling into my gallery and ending in the middle, below a ‘tornado’.  The dress that I created was white cotton, which I painted a gingham pattern on.  I then disassembled an old brides maid dress and used parts to create some ‘princess’ elements.  To finish off the outfit, Ruby Slippers. 

 

Multiplicity

 

The concept of Multiplicity was to show how many parts come together as a whole to create tension and unity in numbers.  One particular piece that I created was made out of the waste created from making 24 ceramic wall sconces.  I used the thousands of little ‘balls’ that I punched out of the clay, painted them bright colors and put them in vials.  They reminded me of germs or a science experiment.  So for the Opening Reception I painted hundreds of germs on a white cotton dress.

 

Necessary Accessories

This show explored the theories of art vs. craft, functional vs. decorative and necessary vs. accessory.  Being a potter who loves to incorporate mixed media, I created works of art that would traditionally be thought of as functional, however, with the materials used, became decorative, or did they…?  For example I created purses out of felt, and added ceramic handles.  Also, beautifully painted silk scarves, with ceramic embellishments.  So I painted a dress and added ceramic butterflies to it.  It matched a ceramic bowl that I made with butterflies cut out and filled with little felt butterflies.

 

FireWorks IV


FireWorks is an annual collaborative show, put together by and including potters from St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.  It is an all-clay show and its purpose is to showcase pottery from the US Virgin Islands and Caribbean and help to educate the community about the diversity of ceramics.  Fire and heat are used in the ceramic process and so I decided to create a dress reflecting one of the necessary elements in process.


“In the Belly of My Dreams”



This show was to celebrate the opening of the gallery and included a mixture of functional and decorative pottery.  I had been using themes and subjects for years and finally discovered what they really meant to me.  Specifically, I was drawing a lot of cats.  This particular cat was a character in my imaginary fairy tale that went on adventures, told stories and became a major theme in my work and part of my life.  I knew that the dress that I created had to include this little kitty holding my heart. 

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