From the Workshop

My office looked like a tornado hit. Dawn, Bennie, Patty and Jennifer had just waded through the piles of textiles, vintage clothing and other odds and ends that are the raw material for the Rex Collection. After comparing fabrics, pairing prints, and just seeing what worked, we found great pieces that fit every design. Selecting fabrics for the designs is often the most enjoyable part of the process.
Because we plan to do 3 sets of each design, many of our fabric combos will not be enough to cover 3 of a particular item. However, that is part of the beauty of the process. I will have to scour around town hoping that I will come across fabric that is comparable to the ones we chose for the originals. Then again, it is the role of the dice, and you don't know what will come up. There is always the chance that nothing will and we will have some items with the same design just different color combos.
Working with each of the girls it an interesting character study. Each one gravitates to very different fabrics and textures. What each of the interns sees in the different fabrics is fascinating, especially how they see it connecting with Rex's work. It is a continuation of their own artistic voice speaking which began from the minute they chose the designs. For instance, Patty in her own work loves vests and very structured dresses. So she has been in charge of making the vests for our collection. Dawn naturally chose to do most of the coats. I knew she loved making them, but what's more, this weekend I learned that she was in the process of creating her own line of one-of-a-kind coat collection made from remnants she has been collecting over the years. I look forward to seeing this materialize for her (silly pun).

Another item on my to-do list is some fabric manipulation. Anne showed me some techniques and ideas she has for creating my vortex jacket derived from a few of Rex's spiraling universes. The photo to the right shows on a small scale what I would like to achieve. My little bunches will be bigger and fluffier, much like a combo of the clouds and the vortex of the painting below. It is going to be exciting testing the different ways to create the many vortexes that are needed. As you can see from the orange fabric sample they are sewn togehter with a thread. This is one way to create the shape. However, I am looking to have more dimension and movement and one way to do that is to take the shapes that have been fastened with thread and then boil or cook the fabric --must be a synthetic or blend-- just enough so that it changes the chemistry enough so when you remove the thread the shape still holds. It will be interesting testing it because it lies on the line between beauty and disaster. A beautiful shape and burnt fabric. The whole Vagadu experience is a lot like this experiment, a delicate balance between art and integrity, it is an entity that must be constantly observed so it keeps its shape and doesn't get overcooked.