Clothing as Art

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Modmissy

Mark Twain once said “Clothes make the man”, which is very true but clothing, shoes and accessories make the woman!

Suffice to say, I LOVE FASHION.

Beautiful clothing hanging in my closet – fabulous!

But clothing hanging as art?

Interesting.

I’ve had this photo in my inspiration folder for some time. Torn from a past issue of Style at Home Magazine I liked this room for a few reasons (ie. furniture, windows) but it was the canvas hanging on the wall that caught my attention. The wall hanging is a hand-painted Victorian wedding crinoline by Janis Gillan.

This got me thinking….’clothing as art’. So I did a little research and here are a few others I found.

Restoration Hardware amps up a neutral room with this ‘clothing as art’ above the sofa.

This is a shot of Brooke Shields family room with portraits of herself and children and images by Annie Leibovitz and others. Once again the piece with the gauzy lace dress on the black canvas is quite prominent.

In her Seams series, Jean Shin created art with clothing by cutting away the fabric of a shirt or a dress leaving behind a continuous linear band around the stitch referencing the body’s skeletal structure, proportion, gravity and gesture.

Guerra de la Paz works with discarded clothing to create 3-dimensional art inspired by an essential familiarity with the ready-made and the archaeological qualities that found objects possess.

This picture is mine. These are my childhood Barbie® doll’s clothing that I framed. My Barbie® doll is long gone but her memories ‘hang’ on!

AGO 1st Thursdays

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Modmissy

Last Thursday evening I attended 1^st Thursdays at the AGO – a very happening ‘art-y’ party!

On the first Thursday of every month the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) closes its doors and lets the party begin.

Designed to engage and entertain the 19+ crowd (alcohol is served!) 1^st Thursdays are interactive art nights that feature performances, art-making activities (free nude life drawing and yarn bombing to name a few) artist and curator tours, talks and live events allowing people to see, make, do and hear as much art as they can. The evenings theme, City Scrawl: Urban Intersections, was to bring Toronto’s diverse cityscape inside the AGO for one night.

Of course there were DJ’s spinning tunes throughout the gallery getting the sold-out crowd in the groove.

No party is complete without food and drinks so pop-up bars located in various areas provided signature cocktails and food. The Galleria Italia before and after!

At the Wheatpasting Workshop the evening’s theme ‘Urban Intersections’ challenged the idea of city and space through the practice of street postering creating collaborative murals that are appreciated as street art.

It was a fabulous night, lots of fun and a whole new way to see the AGO. Check out the website http://www.ago.net/1stThursdays and consider booking a 1^st Thursday event.

All images via Modmissy

Snow Day

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Modmissy

Have a great weekend!

Image via Modmissy

The ‘How To’ of Shopping IKEA

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Modmissy

Congratulations to Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) on the recent arrival of their first IKEA store!

For a city with a population of approximately ¾ million, the people of Winnipeg have been patiently waiting for the opening of their big ‘blue and yellow’ retailer.

Now being a bit of a veteran when it comes to shopping at IKEA I thought I would share my tips and suggestions on how to best tackle (shop) this big store.

(Or for anyone who may be a bit timid when it comes to shopping IKEA read on.)

Welcome newcomer, Your first trip to IKEA has finally arrived. As a seasoned shopper with valuable tips, I will explain how I have survived.

Navigating the big blue and yellow store, Initially may seem like no easy feat. But with a few of my simple tips, I promise there will be no sense of defeat.

Most important of all, Is to wear your most comfortable shoes. Because as I have already mentioned, IKEA is big and has lots and lots to view.

Don’t worry about ever getting lost, For IKEA has this unnerving dilemma sorted out. With big arrows on the floor, An easy way-finding system avoids any sense of doubt.

Before beginning your IKEA journey, With smaller ones in tow, You might like to use the Småland childcare service, Its free and yours if you choose so.

Head directly up to the 2^nd floor, For this is where you will see. Room settings that will truly inspire, Designed with IKEA furniture and accessories.

Now you might need to understand, While you are on your shopping mission, That IKEA’s roots and origin, Hails from the country of Sweden.

So be prepared to be introduced, To POÄNG, KLIPPAN, LACK and LIATORP. HEMNES, OPPDAL, MALM, ASPELUND, RYKENE, PAX, and EKTORP!

Now that you are more fluent in Swedish, Head to the 1^st floor and grab a shopping cart. For on this level you will begin to discover, All the kitchen ware, bedding, lighting, carpets and art.

Now keep following those arrows, And very soon you will see, The place that has made IKEA globally known, A warehouse full of flat-pack and self-assembly.

And don’t forget to take some time, To nosh on a variety of IKEA treats. For there is lots of fabulous food, Eat-in or take-away that just can’t be beat!

You have now successfully made it to the end, With the check-out clearly in view. You never got confused or lost, And had a wonderful shopping experience too!

The End!

All words composed by Modmissy

Colour – Out of this World!

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Modmissy

When booking an airplane ticket do you request the window seat? For the view?

Well Commander Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut, currently living in space aboard the ISS (International Space Station) as Flight Engineer on Expedition 34 has the best window seat ever!

And he has been sharing the view. At 370 – 460 kilometers (230–286 miles) above the Earth’s surface the photos that Commander Hadfield has been sharing via Twitter are nothing short of ‘stellar’!

The ISS orbits Earth 16 times per day, so the 6 Astronauts living aboard see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets each day! How cool is that!?

I have been following the adventures of Commander Hadfield and I’m in total awe of seeing Earth from the ISS, the beauty of this planet and the wonderful colours of Earth.

Take a look.

This is the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. Who would have thought that the ‘City by the Bay’ would be coloured in lavender and teal?

The Outback, Australia looks like a colourful abstract painting of burnt Sienna and deep blues.

This photo taken at night of New York City matches the colours of ‘a night out on the town’ outfitted in mystic gold and blacktop.

The Richat Structure, a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania is a beautiful swirling composition of amber and delphinium blue.

Thanks for sharing Commander Hadfield.

All images via Commander Chris Hadfield

Henry Moore

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Modmissy

“Please do not touch!”

4 words that sum up the rules of an art gallery. Look and enjoy but never, never touch.

I understand – art from the Renaissance and Baroque eras do not do well with the human touch. If we want following generations to enjoy works of art dating from the 1^st century to present day keep your hands off!

But sometimes the urge to touch is incredible……

On Friday I visited the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) to see the Frida and Diego Exhibition. Amazing, you could feel the passion in their work.

But as usual it is the Henry Moore collection of sculptures that always has the greatest draw for me. Housed in a large room painted a very deep shade of grey, with minimal illumination are the bronze casts of Henry Moore. The room is very sensual and the sculptures are very tangible. Some appear very smooth, others very rough. I have the greatest desire to touch them, to feel them. But I don’t!

Instead I just truly enjoy looking at them. Experiencing them.

Henry Moore Reclining Figure

Henry Moore Woman and Oval With Points

Henry Moore Draped Reclining Woman

Henry Moore Working Model for UNESCO Reclining Figure

Henry Moore Working Model for Three way Piece

All images via Modmissy

Merry Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Modmissy

Christmas card

Image created by Modmissy!

My Christmas Door Wreath

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Modmissy

The wreath: A circle of flowers, boughs, or leaves worn on the head, placed on a memorial, or hung as a decoration.

The door wreath whether you celebrate Christmas or not, is a wonderful way to greet guests at this time of year. (especially if your door is ugly and needs replacing like mine – but that’s another blog!)

My childhood family’s first Christmas door wreath was a faux cedar one that my Mother was quite proud of. Mom had paid a good penny for this wreath and subsequently that wreath adorned our door for many years. It was very pretty at the onset but should have been laid to rest sooner than it was. Note to self: cost cannot always be amortized!

As a kid I remember making my first Christmas wreath from IBM Punch Cards.

IBM Punch Card.

For those of you who may not know what an IBM Punch Card is (ie. too young) they are probably the earliest icon of the Technology Age. Before computers of today these ~3” x 7” cards were coded or ‘punched’ with data and then fed into a computer to input information. Seems primitive but we wouldn’t be where we are today if it were not for these cumbersome cards.

An IBM Punch Card Wreath

IBM Punch Card Wreath

When I moved into my first apartment I had a pine cone wreath that I purchased from a co-worker who was making and selling them. But when the pine cones started falling off beyond repair this wreath became fire tinder.

Pine Cone Wreath

Over the years I have always purchased a natural pine or cedar bough wreath. Beautiful.

But this year I decided to change it up. Since my Christmas tree is not ‘strong’ enough to hold decorations I made a door wreath-ornament-holder.

So I started with this…

DIY door wreath

And DIY-ed this….

Door Wreath

PANTONE® Color of the Year 2013

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Modmissy

Yesterday PANTONE® announced their Color of the Year for 2013.

A drum roll please……..

“Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.”

As I look around my home I realize I do not have emerald in my décor although I do have an emerald coat (fabulous pop of colour in my way too black wardrobe!) and an emerald ring (birthstone for May).

The word ‘emerald’ is derived from the Greek word ‘smaragdus’, meaning green and as everyone knows that ‘being green’ these days is a very positive thing. So I think as we venture into a new year Emerald will be a very optimistic and encouraging colour for 2013.

Now to embrace it in to my décor!

Emerald montage

Images via: www.bakerfurniture.com www.jeffgoodmanstudio.com www.instyle-decor.com www.swanklighting.com

Jeff Goodman Studio – Open House and Sale

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Modmissy

I would like to share an invitation with you if you happen to be in the Toronto area this Friday and Saturday, December 7^th and 8^th.

The Jeff Goodman Studio www.jeffgoodmanstudio.com has its annual Open House and Sale where you can enjoy live demonstrations of spectacular glass blowing in their newly expanded 4,000 sq. ft. studio. Meet the creative team and witness their stunning work of blown and cast glass.

I love this year’s invitation with the ‘juicy’ colours of blown glass vessels.

So drop by if you can, it promises to be a colourful event!

See you there.

MODMISSY

Design is Everywhere

Tag Archives: Art