Snow White by Night

 (Above:  Detail of Snow White by Night.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

At any one time, I'm working on several pieces.  Generally, I'm also working on different series with different concepts, different materials, and different approaches; but currently, the differences are greater than ever!  I'm working on new pieces for the upcoming Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.  I'm developing proposals for two installations: Loss and The Cocoon. Plus, I'm creating more pieces for a group show called Alternative Storytellers.

 (Above:  Snow White by Night. Framed 51" x 24".)

 This exhibit will feature works by Flavia Lovatelli (paper and recycled material artist), Olga Yukhno (ceramicist), and me.  It will open on March 7, 2019 during First Thursday on Main Street at Anastasia & Friends Art Gallery here in Columbia and run through the month. The show will be part of the Deckle Edge Literary Festival.  My pieces are all twists on common fairy tales.  This one is Snow White.

Creating the piece required careful attention to construction methods.  Stitching through latex is next to impossible.  Mounting velvet is tricky.  So, I cut a piece of plywood and a piece of over-sized foam-centered board to 48" x 21".  I coated the foam-center board with a special water soluble, acid-free fabric glue.  It is formulated in a special way. Once dry, only a little pressure and low heat is needed to activate the glue.  But there was a problem.  The foam-centered board curled up significantly after the glue dried.

So I stapled the foam-centered board to the plywood ... at the very edge ... where I knew the picture frame moulding would cover any bumps in the fabric caused by the staples.

Then, I carefully ironed the velvet in place using a silicone-coated sheet to protect the material.  It worked!  The velvet's nab didn't get crushed.  The velvet was firmly stuck to the foam-centered board.  I used two different pieces of velvet.  The piece at the top has sparkles in the material.

Next, I positioned the latex fetish bustier, latex footwear, the red tights, and the thigh-high fishnets on the velvet.  All these things were donated to me a couple months ago.  The bustier came from DeMask, a specialty shop that was once located in NYC's Bowery district.  (DeMask is still in operation in Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, Dortmund, and Los Angeles.)  To attach them, I used 3/4" copper slating nails ordered from Jamestown Distributors. Not knowing how many I'd need, I ordered two pounds.  There are 403 nails in a pound.  I used all but ten from the first little box.  Still, that's a lot of nails.  The nails went right through the latex and velvet and into the plywood.

If I'd stopped at this point, I would have had a fetish outfit nailed to red velvet.  With the title, a fairy tale is suggested but I really wanted the work itself to communicate the alternate story!  So, I culled through my stash of antique female portraits and settled on this sweet, innocent looking virgin wearing a cross necklace.  Tiny letters were added to read: Snow White by Day.  It went into this ornate silver frame and was glued in place.

I could have stopped there, but I really wanted the work's alternative story to be even more obvious.  So, I sanded the finish on the inner lip of a chunky frame.  I did this because custom picture frame moulding is always sealed in such a way that acrylic paint really doesn't adhere.  With even a short amount of time, it peels away.

Then, I painted that area with red oxide fluid acrylic.  To match the copper nails, copper metallic foiling distressed the flat red oxide paint.

Finally, I collaged the title .... over and over again ... all around the piece ... plus the date and my name at the bottom.

When working on deeply meaningful expressions like my installation Loss (which I blogged HERE), I find balance by making artwork that is not so serious ... like this one!  Alternative Storytellers is going to be a great show and I'm truly having fun making work for my part of it!  My productivity is largely due to the different projects on which I work.  I can't be bogged down in any of them.  They keep me anchored in art and forward momentum!