Affinity with Music
01.02.2013 § Leave a Comment
Symphonic Collection Inspiration
I volunteered to be an art teacher at day camps quite a few times through my youth and during my children’s adolescent years. Besides typical art projects such as still-life painting or going outside to paint landscapes, I later decided to inspire the children to experience the artistic elements. One time I had them draw the feelings aroused by touching contrasting materials, such as hard angular rocks compared to soft cotton or fur. « Read the rest of this entry »
Is Fashion Art?
17.01.2013 § Leave a Comment
In October 2011, at the ACT New York conference, I heard Dr. Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator, the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, present the subject “Is Fashion Art?” The presentation was very interesting and has gotten me thinking more on this subject every since. I think if anyone should be called an artist in the fashion field, Alexander McQueen would qualify. His work is definitely a statement of his self and his view.
I made these sketches on the same trip, I believe. I visited the Museum at the Fashion Institute, and they happened to have an exhibition with quite a sample of McQueen’s work. Suppose I make a fabric with all that hardware (buckles) dangling? What kind of response would it receive?
Contemplation on Compassion
11.01.2013 § Leave a Comment
I drove by an animal lying in the middle of the road yesterday morning. By the time I had passed by I recognized it as a cat instead of a raccoon or a skunk. The worst part was that it was still struggling, not dead. My mind hurt to see her body twisting over and over again and all the cars just speeding by, mine included. The scene remained in my mind for a long time, still visible today when reminded.
I was wondering why I felt sadder after I discovered it was a cat. Is it normal that we respond more to beings that are closer to humans? Or how our minds think of a raccoon or a skunk differently than a cat? « Read the rest of this entry »
Nella Fantasia
27.12.2012 § 1 Comment
I joined a community choir near work. I will see if I can insist on finishing this term despite my busy schedule. I believe that singing can be a stress release and, with all that breathing practice, is good for my health.
They tested my range and put me in with the sopranos. I should really be a mezzo-soprano, but we do not have enough sopranos, so I am one now. By the time I have to reach high G, I am literally screaming. The conductor, who is an Emory Music School graduate, has such a beautiful voice. She demonstrates a lot, and I feel like I am getting a free recital every Monday evening. She gave us “Nella Fantasia” to learn; what beautiful melody and lyrics! I had heard this song before but did not know the meaning until now. I had goose bumps when I read the lyrics in translation while she was demonstrating the high notes. Here is the song and a touching Cinderella story about a singer from Korea.
Color Know How
05.12.2012 § Leave a Comment
To be able to enjoy life is a great blessing, but to take on a challenge is more rewarding. It is both the painful process of overcoming the difficulty and the thrill of attaining the goal, the mixture of these two extremes that makes life more inspiring and meaningful. I suppose that is why I do what I do. In developing the Brentano line, I am constantly challenging the status quo and searching for new technology, new color sense and new points of view.
Making colors for natural fibers such as cotton, rayon, wool—the process is a sheer pleasure. They each have a noble characteristic when taking dyes. When finalizing the color selections for a pattern with a natural fiber, we are torn between so many good colors that exquisite colors often get left out.
More of Japan’s Manhole Covers
19.11.2012 § Leave a Comment
I sent a link to my last post about manhole covers to my Japanese friends, and they directed me to this website, which got me wildly excited. I selected a few of the manhole covers that have Japanese woodcarving interest to share here.
Baccarat Museum, Paris
07.11.2012 § Leave a Comment
As a tourist in a new place, I feel compelled to run around and look at everything that is going on and the beautiful sceneries, so the museums are always left out. I am always a bit bewildered by the idea of locking myself in a place for a whole day and looking at things from the past when I should be “sightseeing.” But after some traveling, some of the most memorable things I’ve found are the notes or sketches I made at a museum. As a textile designer, I constantly look for inspiration for new motifs. Even the most unlikely things will strike my fancy, such as these cubist looking glass jars from the Baccarat Museum in Paris or this hardware by Diego Giacometti.
These sketches were made on 1-28-2008.
 Diego Giacometti |
 Baccarat Museum |
