Blogging, what’s that?

It’s been so long, so long since I’ve blogged, I don’t even know where to begin.

A lot has happened in my making world: crochet came and went ( it will be back, it’s just on the back burner for now) , a new brand has been started c.Art which is a fashion line ( initially hand painted bags but has now expanded to encompass all forms of wearable art , some of which can be found for sale on my Big Cartel website .

There are political ( feminist mainly) hand printed tshirts,

there are upcycled items of clothing that are themed around strong female icons

 

( Frida Kahlo/ Medusa/ Marilyn Monroe ) and I shall be adding to the range as time goes on.

There are also jackets bearing the ” This is Not” legend which is exclusive to the c.Art brand. One of my favourites is a dark take on Disney monopolising childhood, ” This is Not… Childhood” featuring Snow White wearing Mickey Mouse ears and a printed and embroidered Dead Bambi’s mother scene.

So yes, I’ve been busy at work creating a range of what I call Radical Street wear for the young and not so young, but for people looking for something completely unique with a little bit of an edge. So far the range is proving popular with fellow creatives and artists.

One very inspiring and creative person I’ve recently met is one of Channel 4’s Fabulous Fashionistas , the amazing Sue Kreitzman. Sue bought one of my early c.Art bags that had a hand painted Caravaggio’s Medusa on it, as she is very inspired by the gorgon with the snake hair.

We met again at her birthday party where she invited me to perform with my puppets for a childlike birthday party fitting for a woman who doesn’t take life too seriously. At that party, Sue asked me if I could paint on an old raincoat she had picked up from a flea market in New York. It had really big shoulders and she wanted me to do something to it to distract from them.

So I did this:

 

Sue was so thrilled with the result that I’m now in the enviable position of being Sue’s primary wardrobe creator. Isn’t that just incredible? What more perfect a person to represent c.Art ( wearable art) than someone who is known as living art.

I’ve since made two more jackets for Sue: a purple self referential coat with a portrait of Sue on the back and various pieces of her work on the front. Here’s Sue working it!

 

Sue’s home is a veritable Aladdin’s cave of assemblages and paintings, things picked up from flea markets and other ethnic treasures. It is quite something to behold.

Here’s another jacket that I’ve painted with images from Sue’s fabulously vibrant ‘Matissesque ‘ paintings. And here’s Sue wrapped in her own painted mythology, what a wonderful sight to behold! Sue has become not only a dear friend but a total inspiration. I don’t know where it will lead, but I do know that Sue is promising to keep me really busy with her garments.

I’m excited to show you.

This time, I promise not to stay away for so long…

 

 

Welcome to the World Wide Web ! iheartcart.com is live.

Hooray! I’ve finally done it.

I’m so excited to announce the launch of the brand new designer , build-a-bag, wearable art, handbag art extravaganza website , iheartcart.com.

It’s been an  interesting process, as in the search for relevant key words for SEO ( search engine optimisation) I’ve realised that maybe I’ve created a product that is fairly unique. There aren’t any keywords that pop up in the key word finder that can possibly describe what I’ve created. It seems that turning paintings into handbags may be a fairly unusual concept. Maybe for a reason… maybe I’m crazy ? Who knows. All I know is I’m so excited to follow my passion. I’m going with the flow and making these bags feels so right. Whether it is a small evening purse that has poetry embroidered into it like the Lady of Shalott bag and an image on the front

or a Harris Tweed evening clutch purse with a vintage postcard image crafted in graffiti style or another evening purse bag , this time with the fearful Medusa image from Caravaggio.

Or if it is a large bag that you are after, a big statement , well there is no bigger statement than a tote. Especially a tote bag with a Gustav Klimt image on the front.

So if you are a fan of art, are looking for something completely unique to make a unique statement, looking for a bag like no other, then pop over and see the new website www.iheartcart.com

 

Bags more bags

It’s been a long time blogging , I’ve been busy in my spare time when I’m done with puppets, establishing a brand new venture. It’s called c.Art  , the concept being artworks that you carry around with you in the form of bags. Here’s my latest creations:

 

“Babies”

 

This one is called ‘Babies’.  It is a clutch bag , again painted canvas with top stitching details and embroidered text. This bag is painted in a beautiful shade of soft grey to compliment the drawing .

The text reads: Father asked us , ” What was God’s noblest work? Anna said, ” Men,” but I said “Babies”. Men are often bad, but babies never are. A wonderful quote from the classic novel , Little Women , by Louisa May Alcott. This quote perfectly sums up my thoughts on the ‘empty vessel’ theory that I believe children are. We hold so much responsibility for filling them with the right stuff.The image is drawn from a silverpoint engraving of an infant by the great Leonardo Da Vinci.

 

The inside of the bag is lined with baby pink , and the bag is fastened with a magnetic snap. There are two compartments inside the bag to organise your things nicely.

 

“Kiss”

The next bag is a handsome beast. It is a ‘man bag’. ( I’m not sure what else to call it) although of course, it isn’t restricted to men. It is designed to be worn across the body, the wide canvas adjustable strap with it’s smart satin bronzed buckle, holding it nice and secure. It has a flap front, featuring a beautifully distressed and deliberately drippy image of two lovers kissing, just emerging from the shadows.

The gender of the couple is not at first clear, but on closer inspection , the two lovers are both male.

 

The quote : “Make me immortal with a kiss” is from Christopher Marlowe.

 

I wanted to invoke the beauty found in decay , the accidental masterpiece found on a subway wall, the dark excitement and freedom and tolerance found in the urban sprawl in this piece. The bag is in muted shades of grey/sepia and is selectively over sewn to emphasise elements of the design.

The inside of the bag is equally handsome. I’ve lined it with the most beautifully sumptuous wine coloured satin. It has a lined front pocket under the flap and a zippered pocket in the lining. The bag is fastened with two magnetic snaps .

 

“The Eye “Make up Ba

 

For something a little different, here I’ve made a make up bag in pale flesh tones with a big detailed embroidered eye .

 

It’s lined in pink pearly pvc and is fastened with a chocolate brown zipper.

 

 

 

So, what do you think?

 

 

 

I’ve been working on the website, hopefully it will be up and running soon.

 

 

 

In the meantime, to keep up with all things c.Art, head over to my facebook page for regular updates.

 

c.Art on Facebook

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c.Art: where craft meets Art.

The Mona Lisa. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I know. I’ve not blogged for ages. I’m not going to apologise, I’ve been busy, very busy. Now don’t fall over with shock, but my latest project has nothing to do with crochet. I know, shocking, isn’t it? I thought I’d give my hands a break and go back to my roots of painting . I studied Fine Art ( painting)at art college way back when.

Back in the day when I was a young lady, I worked as a scenic artist for the Cape Performing Arts Board in South Africa. I spent my time tacking down massive canvases in warehouses and sloshing around horse glue size with a sweeping brush , preparing the backdrops for various operatic and theatrical productions.
Sometimes I would have the honours of actually painting the massive canvases too.  After all, my audition to get the job in the first place was having to paint a replica of the Mona Lisa, in poster paints for a production of Annie. The painting was a success, so much so that it was stolen by someone on tour. I learned to spatter with 8 ” decorating brushes like a pro, often having to ‘break down’ a copy of a Rococco painting  on the instructions of the set designer , as it read too well from the audience. Breaking down involved spattering great gobs of paint over a beautifully detailed painting- heartbreaking thing to do.

Fast forward 20 odd years and I’m back spattering on canvas and painting replicas of gorgeous pieces of art , except this time, instead of being on a huge scale, these canvas are tiny. And they are being turned into bags.

My new venture is c.Art.

The name stands for craft meets Art, or carry Art. Also you cart your stuff around in your bag.

The basic concept is turning paintings on canvas into bags . Most bags feature an image or two combined with appropriate embroidered text.  But words are not enough to describe the bags. You need pictures . So here they are:

This bag was made for a huge Aaliyah fan. It’s not terribly representative of the c.Art style but it was a commission.

Another commission, this bag truly showcases the c.Art style. Here we have a grafitti inspired image with words chosen by the client embroidered on to the bag.

Note the drippy, spattered canvas over written with text: that’s the c.Art style. All the bags are lined in luscious satin and fastened with magnetic snaps.

Here’s a bag made for my muse as a gift, the brilliant, creative, performance artist Marnie Scarlet. This is the back of the bag featuring appliqued flowers and a portrait of her in one of her costumes. This was based on a photo by the wonderful ML Imagery.

Here’s the front of the bag featuring a portrait of the great lady herself , based on a photograph this time by Helene Jaspers.

Detail of the stitching and glitter .

This bag is a tribute to a legend, the late, great Bruce Lee. Here’s the inside of the bag showing one of his wonderful quotes:

And here’s the front of the bag, with another one of his quotes. Image based on the famous cracked mirror scene of Enter the Dragon.

This next bag is a clutch bag , an adaptation of one of my other bags, this time featuring a cat rather than a dog. The bag is lined with satin , with a zippered inner pocket and magnetic clasp.

Sometimes I make from other materials, this time from a beautiful pearly pink pvc. This is based on a graffiti version of Frieda Kahlo.

This clutch bag made from the same pvc, this time with a very graphic image .

This drawing , by my eldest daughter, inspired  all of the bags. I transferred this drawing onto a bag made from some old oil paintings of mine , cut up to make a tote bag for her 21st birthday.

This was how it worked out.

She was very happy with her gift. 🙂

Here’s a small evening bag based on the famous painting of the Lady of Shalott.

Painted on canvas and lavishly oversewn, edged with red satin, lined with black satin.

The back of the bag features a verse from the poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson of the Lady of Shalott. The bag features a crystal topped frame and  a red silk cord.

Here is the Medusa shopper. This bag was my fastest seller, purchased only minutes of it’s completion. It was sold to the wonderful artist Sue Kreitzman.

I call this one the Mercury clutch, featuring the God Mercury and words by the God Freddie Mercury. 🙂

Another bespoke  bag , this time for a gentleman who chose this rather lovely quote to be featured inside his bag:

and this one on the back :

This is the front of the bag, a composite image of all of his passions: capoeira , architecture, jazz and the sea.

I think it came out rather well. I also unwittingly created ‘Debrixton’, the blue canvas fabric  , similar to Denim but not created in Nimes ( De Nimes) hence Debrixton.  Get it?

Some of my bags verge on the ridiculous, but splendidly so. Another bag for the fabulously adventurous Marnie Scarlet. This one is called Nell. E. Phant and features a detachable elephant trunk. The images are based on photographs by the splendidly creative Tigz Rice Studios.

Trunk on and trunk off.

This bag is made in soft pink pvc with velvet straps , canvas portrait applique and artificial flowers.

This bag was another commission . I call this one Optimism.

Another bespoke bag, this one features a stylised portrait of the client.

This next bag was specially made as a gift for my partner. He’s crazy about a certain character…

On the back is a quote from Bruce Lee. ( elaborated by Royce Da 59)

Here are two clutch bags. The first with the dog is my own personal bag, the second a version for another client, featuring her cat, Bowie.

Close up of the original tea party bag, based on a wonderful piece of graffiti.

So that’s it for now. I’ve got so many ideas in store, I almost don’t know where to begin.

I’ll be back to show you more.

Oh, if you’d like to follow my progress with the bags, do head over to my facebook page www.facebook.com/c.Artbags

There will be a website soon. I’m still working on it.

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