Friday, August 22, 2008

Children Film Festival Awards

Two animations that I directed last school year won awards in The International Student Media Festival 2008.
http://www.ismf.net/ns/about.asp

Peace Thoughts won Judges Favorite. This animation was created by a first grade class. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ19kniuW1M


Claymation Situation by Cole Takara, Edward Slee and Cassie Woodard won Excellence in Media. This animation also won Best Animation in the CEEF Epic Film Festival in 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n8oKqnG2a0

The film festival will be held in Florida from November 5 to 8th and both animations will be in the festival screening. The children's school, Stevens Creek Elementary School, will receive a trophy and
each child will get a medal and certificate.

Still images from Peace Thoughts:





















































Still images from Claymation Situation:













































Saturday, August 16, 2008

Hats On Post Sutter Stockton Garage Display

Yesterday I set up a window display in The Sutter Stockton Garage in San Francisco. This is my first display in a parking garage!This window display is for Hats on Post, a hat boutique with a long history in San Francisco dating back to the days when all the big department stores had their own milinary departments and women did not step out their doors without a hat on. I was very excited to have this opportunity as this garage sees a lot of foot traffic. During the hour I was there I met many interesting people, many of whom liked and had questions about my Asian food wrapper hats. I was also grateful to Peggy Purcell of Hats on Post for allowing me to post some info and sketches about my up coming residency at the de Young Museum. I will be making duplicates of some of my artist residency hats and selling them through Hats on Post.

We added two hats to the display by another designer whose work I really like and fits in well with mine. Here name is Jasmin Zorlu. I loved her little blue nest hat with a little bird in it. So lovely!
Her website is: http://www.jasminzorlu.com/























Above is the window display in the garage.


















Above is as sketch of the installation. Peggy sent me the dimensions and I planned out the hats and props before I went up to San Francisco.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Additional Tapestry designs

Today I worked on these additional tapestry concept designs as well as the list of hats that will separate off of them.



















This above piece is inspired by the bridal butterfly obi tie and the swoops of forms in the gardens.

























This piece above is inspired by an abstract butterfly wing textile in the de Young online collection as well as by hanagasa hair ornaments.

















































This tapestry is inspired by ferns at the de Young, by a textile in de Young online collection as well as by Japanese festival and work hats. I haven't refined completely the hat designs here. Inserted reference fern image above is titled "Tuck and Roll" by Jenna Louise
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennalouise/1474631194/in/set-72157600048717956/






























Here are the cocktail hats that will pull off from the tapestries. 16 in all.
The hat sketch below may be one of the designs used in the round hat tapestry.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Beginning Ginko Tapestry



















I have started the wire form for the Ginko Tapestry. This piece is inspired by the outdoor lighting at the de Young, by a Japanese textile in their collection and by the ginko plants on the grounds. I started the piece by printing out a pattern tile I created in the software, Illustrator. This I glued on to cardboard (a piece of cer
eal box). I drew a grid on a large sheet of bicycle box and followed the grid as I traced around the pattern tile.



















Below is the start of the grid that I drew on the bicycle box. I like to use different colors for different parts of the grid. This is easier on my eyes to follow the correct lines later with my wire wor
k.




















Below is the start of the wire work. I punch holes through the cardboard and tie down the twisted wire with thin floral wire to keep the wire forms in place.















Final grid form still attached to cardboard.


















Grid form removed from cardboard. Wire form of light structure added and waste canvas sewn over it to add structure. On top of this waste canvas the silk will be sewn. I actually reworked this question mark form a bit after this picture was taken. Final for is a little different.


















Below I have started a ginko leaf form based on my computer sketch. So super low tech... cardboard again with a sketch and twisted wire taped down.













Below, the ginko leaf removed from the cardboard. It will be covered in a skin of Chinese and Japanese food wrappers and then glazed. Final layer will be a sheer silk. These leaves will detach to become hats.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Cocktail Hats

I have started creating some new over the top cocktail hats. Here is one that I will incorporate into my Artist in Residence exhibit at the de Young Museum in December as well as use in the fashion show I will be having there with Colleen Quen in January 2009 for the opening of their Friday Night events. This butterfly hat was created with wire, Chinese Chan Pui Mui wrappers, silk remnants from Colleen Quen, crystals, pearls, and mini shoyu bottles.



















Detail of Butterfly Cocktail hat















Emily wanted to get into the pictures, too! Next time maybe I'll let her wear one, but I was in a rush to get this piece documented and move onto my tapestry pieces.