Where Fashion Meets Fine Arts

I went to the Bvlgari exhibit at the DeYoung recently and got to indulge my senses with the sparkle and glory of such fine jewels. As you may have gathered, I would have to consider myself a jewelry aficionado. However, I consider myself more knowledgable in fashion jewelry- Swarovski crystals as well as what could be considered luxe “costume” jewelry.

Anyhow, the whole point is I know much more about fashion jewelry than fine jewelry and this exhibit:

http://deyoung.famsf.org/deyoung/exhibitions/art-bulgari-la-dolce-vita-beyond-1950-1990

I learned about the different periods of Bvlgari jewelry and the architectural elements it has utilized such as the Tubogas collection which translates to “gas pipe” is made popular in the 1930s and 1940s due to its flexible and durability nature that was created due to the fact that did not require soldering created by wrapping gold tightly together.

As well as the Spiga collection, which I found the following information about from http://www.bigbeadlittlebead.com/online-bead-shop.php

This chain is made from small figure of eight links which give it an almost square, plaited profile. It is a strong, complex chain which are qualities that are usually reflected in its price. This jewellery making chain is also known as Espiga Chain and Wheat Chain.

I came to the conclusion that it was exquisite work- the attention to detail and the craftsmanship of each piece of dazzling beauty sparked my imagination. Some of my favorite pieces included the necklaces that incorporated the history of the italian House of Fine Jewels by using both Roman & Grecian coins as the center pieces of the design.

Some of the pieces , with their bright colors and variances in clarity, shape, and color made some of the treasures look like candy!

I feel like after my journey into the realm of fine jewelry’s best, I better understand the beauty, value, and resilience of such opulence. This was further expanded when I was able to view some of Elizabeth Taylor’s personal collection.

The exhibit was noticeably shorter than the previous exhibits I have seen before at the venue. I kind of wish that the exhibit also listed the price point/value of each individual item but I understand the reasons why that would not be such a good idea but it would definitely have been interesting to see what even one of the archived styles , some with such vibrant colored gems and materials such as lapis lazuli and cotton candy hued coral – some colors that I am pretty sure are hard to come by in our oceans in this day and age unfortunately.

This is a silkscreen tunic I created with both photo emulsion and discharge techniques that I made with applied textiles techniques. My awareness of all the "too special" to use fabrics that i have been holding on to has become moot. I mean, if i dont use them then where are they going to go? I have most of them in portfolios now but what I really want is to see these projects come to life.

So this particular swatch I made as the center front panel of a shirt. Almost like the shirt is the wall/frame around the orchids textile design.

Funny story behind this particular print- I was so excited about this flora drawing I drew out on tracing paper -it takes forever to experiment and test all the fabrics and dyes before I commit to one fabric. I began with the discharge method as the background. This is basically taking out the color out of the fibers of the cloth- so that is what the big beige outline around the pink and orange orchids. It helps create dimension so you can see the design/chosen colors more clearly on an otherwise black canvas. Then after I washed the product off and let it dry, I stretch pinned it again and this time used the photo emulsion on the silkscreen. This involves coating the screen in light fluid strokes with this most sticky, slime green emulsion that you have to put on the screen in the dark room so I barely can see what I am doing.

After the screen dries in front of a fan in the dark room,  then I took this transparency of the drawings that I created derived from scanned version of the original drawing and tape it to the screen. Then I put it in this:

Press couple buttons- usually set for about 40- to 60 second cycle and the black tarp like cover in the middle begins to tighten and sucks all the excess air out of the contraption. ( the one I use at school is actually a vertical version of this and a HUGE  machine- you load it in from the side instead) and then there's a

**FLASHH****

And then presto it's done. You take it out and then run it to the washing station and spray the areas where the lines are hidden and will slowly be exposed. The photopraph of the machine above as well as the photo of the wash room station are not mine- they are just examples of what a typical textile studio looks like.

The main thing to remember when applying the emulsion is that it is not wise to overcoat either because then the image wont come through clearly when you spray off the excess goop.

So basically this is a continual process of trial and error- anything can smudge, emulsion falls off too much, the color is wrong etc.  This silkscreen came out well and I planned for this print to begin the sequence for my final collection of prints.

It was my instructor that then suggested that i reused the same orchids photo screen for a repeat pattern look but that I should match the ink with the color of the discharged background ( the yellowish beige)of the orchids in color above. GENIUS.. I loved the result.

In the end, she decided that this particular print was NOT the route she wanted me to go with my final collection- she suggested that I not use any black in the final. Which looking back, I think is too bad because black creates such a contrast. Even in just texture.

This is the journey of a young visual artist/designer residing in the mecca of fine art, fashion, film, and food- San Francisco. My boyfriend and I have lived here for almost three years and I can’t imagine what our lives would have been like if we hadn’t moved out West from Florida.

Any comments or suggestions on my musings and visual work is always appreciated- I find a lot of inspiration in my friends and family’s feedback so please let me know if you see something that can be altered or added to create an more cohesive composition.