The Art of Attire

Posted on by Diversions LA

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Fashion is in many cases considered a form of art. When an art lover purchases an art work, they’re collecting something they love. When fashionistas purchase clothing, well, maybe they’re just shopping – but a cogent argument can be made that they’re collecting, too. Whether they’re collecting a favorite brand or an iconic look, from designer couture to hand-painted linens,  what we wear represents the art of fashion and more personally, the art of ourselves.

Museums often hold halls of fashion, clothing that has historical or celebratory value, whether we’re looking at presidential inaugural outfits from the 19th Century, Mondrian print scarves, or what Lady Gaga wore to the Grammys. Originality, fine craftsmanship, beautiful materials all play a part in what makes attire art. And of course, personal taste.

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With all that in mind – how a garment is made, what it’s made with, and an original approach, here in Southern California, the art of attire tends to focus on designer outfits at red carpet events — and there are plenty of those — and beach wear.

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Award ceremonies aside, there are a lot of us taking a walk along the sand, catching a wave, or just hanging out with a glimpse of blue sea always in view. And we still want our own personal, wearable style – the art of us.

This has led to a wide range of clothing for both sexes, from bathing suits to sun hats to cover-ups that cross over into evening wear, patterned beach bags that double as briefcases or overnight bags, and for guys, the relaxed vibe of the beach in shorts, shirts, and board shorts that are cool enough to leave the sand.

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Sure, there are mass market retailers that offer takes on beach fashion, but not only may quality be sub-par, let’s face it, purchasing anything off a rack in a chain store is – to use the art analogy again – not dissimilar to bringing home a print of the Mona Lisa and assuming it’s just as good as the real thing.

We recently met the owner of the Old Bull Lee brand of shorts, shirts, and board shorts, Lee Johnson, who more than agrees. Old Bull Lee is more or less the epitome of a clothing brand that represents the art of beach living. It’s a conscious choice, to make terrifically wearable clothes that more or less define a lifestyle. Johnson says his company doesn’t just make shorts – “We live and craft them.  We pride ourselves on making the finest quality. We pay attention to every detail,” he says.

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Culling fabrics from France and Italy, making his clothing in California where the company is located,  Old Bull Lee also defines itself with bold color patterns, precise keyhole buttonholes, and sophisticated styling.

Some patterned street short designs are printed in France by a 150-year-old company that uses Persan WAT roller printing to provide a soft and layered depth and great color performance. The material is lightweight, with a tight weave and substantial feel. Solid color shorts may utilize superior Japanese-made Duck-weight cotton,  with vibrant color that’s over-dyed or direct-dyed to prevent fading.

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And when it comes to Old Bull Lee board shorts, the design is just as meticulous, and the artful palette just as engaging.  There’s the vivid psychedelic undersea blue pattern in the company’s El Porto design, or the rich, tapestry-like half-speed-printed floral graphic in the Montauk design, the latter from internationally renowned artist Eduardo Recife. There it is again, fashion as art.

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Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say it’s fashion merging with art, as with the company’s 100% ring-spun cotton T-shirt that sports a hip apple green logo screen printed on the front in water-based ink. From casual shirts to button-downs crafted with Italian fabric and mother of pearl buttons, the art of beach style is epitomized by Old Bull Lee.

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Johnson of course notes the comfort of his clothing, the softness, durability, and fit – but in the end it all comes down to artistic design and fabric; to defining and representing the art of beach living, from Cape Cod to Santa Monica Bay, from the Carolinas to the Lone Star State.

While over the years the art of attire has often come to represent royal gowns and film costumes, in a very real way and on a very relatable level, when it comes to clothing, the real art is in creating lasting and lovely attire that fits the lives that people lead. And allows them to live their dreams.

  • Genie Davis; photos: Old Bull Lee

Heartopia: Have a Heart

Posted on by Diversions LA
SantaClarita_flyer_moresquarishThis Friday, February 9th, Just in time for Valentine’s Day, The Main and The City of Santa Clarita are presenting, Heartopia, an exhibition featuring selected works from artist Jennifer Korsen. Heart themed art, cocktails, and an interactive installation –  a fitting celebration of five years of community outreach showcasing past collaborations from Korsen’s What’s in Your Heart Project.
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The event will feature installations, new mixed media work and pieces from the artist’s private collection which will be sold in an online auction hosted by Bid27. There will also be T-shirts and posters for sale featuring the event’s signature pattern, above. The evening’s proceeds will go towards What’s in Your Heart Project, a platform created by Korsen to connect community with charitable organizations inspiring creative expression through art, which began as an exercise with a leadership group of high school girls in South LA.
Korsen says “Heartopia is really different than anything I’ve ever done! It features my largest installation to date, as well as a few other fun interactive installations and surprises. I created an immersive world of hearts, and am highlighting some of my favorite pieces from my collection to raise funds for my community projects. We will have live screen printing from Family Industries and I’m hoping for a really unique and special evening.”
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The event is a fundraiser, and Korsen is auctioning off some of her personal collection to help raise them. “For every $500 in art sales, I will be donating a workshop to a local school or institution that can be chosen by the buyer, if they like. It’s a new way of doing this, but I’m excited to get my work in some new homes and further that by bringing my art to the community as well. It’s kind of like a buy one, give one kind of thing,” she says. “They get original art at a great price and the workshop gets donated to people who would benefit from it. And I get some room in my studio to create more art.”
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The heart shape is the common thread that connects all of Korsen’s work. “I have everything from sculpture to installation to paintings, mixed media pieces and more. I love exploring new mediums and pushing myself to stay creative and find new ways to incorporate my heart. I do a solo show every February, so keeping it fresh is a really fun challenge.”
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She began creating hearts 9 years ago. “I was doing a lot of anatomical collages, and after doing one heart out of some fancy paper it kind of just stuck. I got obsessed and kept doing more and more. I haven’t run out of inspiration yet and I’m hoping I never do!”

The event takes place February 9th, 7 – 11 pm at The Main, 24266 Main Street in Newhall.

Genie Davis, Photos: Fanny Chu 

Art Los Angeles Contemporary: Contemporary Art Mirrors Contemporary Life

Posted on by Diversions LA

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If art is a mirror of the soul, then the eclectic art at Art Los Angeles Contemporary this weekend mirrored a global soul that’s skewed but sound.

Local and international galleries showcased a wide range of mediums and styles, but two consistent themes held true: there were many works that touched on or skewered today’s political and social world, and there were many works that displayed a trenchant wit.

Below, the large-scale sculptural installation of The Holy Land, created of styrofoam and polyurethane by Folkert de Jong. From Lincoln to Snoop Dog, the works subversively and delightfully play with political art from Mount Rushmore to the Lincoln Memorial while touching on our obsession with the worship of cultural figures.

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Nothing overt above, but Pae White’s “Untitled (Popcorn)” riffs on the heaviness of insubstantial things in this 4 foot marble work.

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Above from Chicago’s Shane Campbell Gallery, the work of David Leggett. Several works referenced “Black Heaven,” in an amusing but highly pointed poke at racial politics and perceptions.  Police brutality and toxic masculinity were other topics the artist addressed.

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Above, Kendall Carter’s “Effigy for a New Normalcy VIII, Love for my Father”  is a one of the artist’s series of works offering a look at race, gender, hip hop culture, and both racial and societal history.

Below, from 313 Art Project,  chains that bind.

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Below, at Glendale’s The Pit and The Pit II booths, pop culture gets a scouring. Lively, fun, and scathing – see Lisa Simpson’s tattoos, among a series of works from FriendsWithYou.

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Below, it’s a dark world at Klowden Mann. Debra Scacco’s “Tempus omnia dabit (Time will give everything)“, acrylic, ink and pigment on lasercut paper, background; shards of black glass poke skyward in the foreground.

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Below, poignant doors to nowhere – Sayre Gomez’ farewell to the long-standing, now shuttered, Chinatown icon Hop Louie. Somehow, this closure and its reverent, lovely, large-scale depiction is emblematic of so many things lost and gone.

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Among the most overtly political – and the most whimsical – were the lively works of Federico Solmi at L.A.’s Luis de Jesus booth, above. Animated video on plexiglass with gold leaf, silver leaf, and acrylic, the images were dazzling and delightful, even as they offered a pungent commentary on the 45th president, above,  “The Eminent Manipulator” in his inaugural dance.

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Above, Matthew Brandt’s “Families gather in prayer at Restauracion in South L.A.,” a subtly glittering mosaic created with rhinestuds on canvas. Poignant and reverential, the work was exhibited by Paris-based Gallery Praz-Dellavallade.   

Overall, ALAC’s strong show was made stronger by the undercurrents running through the exhibition. Our inchoate contemporary lives are far less so when illuminated by art.

  • Genie Davis; photos: Genie Davis

An Amazing Body of Work: Plus at Ark Gallery

Posted on by Diversions LA

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Plus, now at Ark Gallery in Altadena through March 18th, is a simply dazzling “body” of work. These luminous nude images are profoundly beautiful, in an ethereal curation that changes as the light changes in the gallery.

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Over the course of 90 minutes at the opening today, shadows fell and daylight shifted into darkness. A number of the works are suspended archival pigment prints on transparency film. These came alive and danced, just as their subject moved and danced in creating this astonishing work.

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Kristine Schomaker’s solo exhibition is both simple and profound, revealing powerful, intimate images that spark a deep conversation about body image and beauty.

Schomaker has consistently – in a variety of different works that we’ve had the pleasure to witness evolve over the past four years – boldly discussed dealing with an eating disorder, body image, and self-esteem. This work continues and transcends that discussion.

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“As an artist, my work is always about exploration, experimentation, education, communication. It is about me. It is about my life. It is an autobiography,” Schomaker asserts.

Plus was a spontaneous creation by the artist during a hotel stay: post- sunrise serendipity and forgetting to turn off a bathroom light, formed the opportunity to shape her new body of work. 

A sliding bathroom door with frosted glass, a glow behind that door, an artist’s eye. The inspiration of art history, Reubens, Arbus. And an iPhone.

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Schomaker playfully began shooting photos on a timer and on blast, feeling free, playful, and having fun. With the frosted glass between her body and the camera she was able to create silhouettes that “focused on form, line and shape.” She began to see her body as an instrument for creating the beauty of art.

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“Through art, I have learned to face my fears in order to move forward and love myself. Or at least try to,” Schomaker says. “This new body of work is about confrontation, weight, shape, excess, history, voyeurism, objectification, control, confinement, containment, self esteem, confidence, bravery, revealing and concealing, authenticity.”

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Deeply personal, the key words that describe this exhibition to viewers include transcendent, joyful, and evocative. The framed prints on fine art paper and the suspended transparency films that both comprise this exhibition each offer depictions of the wild wonder of the human body.

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They reveal our capacity for joy; the ability of our bodies to allow that joy. They are defiant and bold, delicate shadows, triumphant and infused with longing. 

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The beautiful curation, in which viewers can stand between and weave among the large-scale suspended images, as if they too were reflected in that hotel room’s mirrored glass, adds to the overall magical quality of the exhibition.

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There is something primal, something pure about the shadowed images Schomaker has taken of herself.

“It is a hyper-personal exploration of being overweight. It is about taking control of my body in a time where #metoo is about our bodies being controlled by someone else,” she says.

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She calls it liberating, reclaiming, and an ode to the lost love of one’s self.

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The work here is quite simply what art is supposed to be: vulnerable and inspiring, moving and relatable, lovely to see, provocative to contemplate. If art is a mirror, then we are seeing ourselves, our fears, our pleasures, our vindication. If art is a call to action, then the empowerment of these photographic works cannot be denied. If art is about capturing and preserving beauty, then these somewhat amorphous forms, their luscious light, their visual – and yes, spiritual, glow certainly does that as well.

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In short, Schomaker has hit this out of the ballpark, and Kira Vollman’s beautiful open space at Ark is the perfect setting to explore images of exceptional luminosity.

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An Artist Talk is scheduled for February 11, 3-5pm; a closing reception will be held March 18, 2-5pm.

ARK is located at 2599 Fair Oaks Ave in Altadena.

– Genie Davis; photos: Genie Davis